Dancing in the Sheets
by neome89
Summary: After a school trip to Hogsmeade, Hermione wakes to find herself in a rather compromising position with Draco Malfoy.... Rating may go up!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I kind of started this on a whim, but I really like how this turned out. This is going to be one of my few fics where I don't kill my main characters in the end, so I must _really_ like it... but anyway, PLEASE remember to review, and if you feel like bugging me or you want to read misc. drabbles that won't end up here (or advanced chapter/spoilers) visit my LJ. The links in my profile. Enjoy! Updates coming soon!**

It's not at all what I had expected, waking up next to someone. Waking up next to Draco Malfoy, of all people, was even more disturbing. I made a mental note to refrain from any further consumption of alcohol as I sat up in bed, my arms folded across my chest and my face distorted in an ugly mixture of confusion, anger, and reluctant curiosity. I know my face looked like this because whatever inn in Hogsmeade I woke up, they had the gall to place the large funhouse style mirror directly across from my position in the bed. Well, after I untangled myself from the sheets and the pale body beside me that was practically a corpse, anyway.

No, waking up next to someone was not at all what I expected. It was supposed to be the meeting of two lovers after a long night of making love under the stars, and, if I was ever pressed by my parents, _after_ you've been married. At the very least, it should've been after a sleepless night of having wild, hot, sweaty sex with each other that, drunk or not, neither of them would soon forget. Instead, I got Draco Malfoy.

I, Hermione Granger, got Draco Malfoy – the biggest, slimiest, most heartless git in all of Hogwarts. I would say 'in the entire wizarding world', but there is one person who's worse than he is. Until Draco Malfoy turns to genocide, that is.

I growled, glaring at myself angrily in the mirror. Way to go, Hermione. Well done. My snide mental remarks at myself only made me angrier. I threw some of my hair over my shoulder, turning to look at the sleeping ferret. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't I have woken up next to someone fun? Like Oliver Wood, or one of the Weasley twins? I sighed.

Well, whatever the case, time had certainly changed Draco Malfoy. Oh, he was still pale, with that sneer that made you want to hit him, and a personality that made you want to know the best way to hide a body, but he wasn't the same skinny kid that he was when he arrived at Hogwarts. He'd grown up, albeit slightly awkwardly and much to the dismay of others – particularly Harry, Ron, and I. He'd grown tall, over six feet I thought, and lean. He wasn't particularly well muscled, but the curves of his arms and his chest suggested a hidden strength. Besides, I thought, whatever he lacked in muscle, he made up for, well... _down there_. Even as my face flushed and I felt a sudden rush in my stomach, I couldn't look away. Not too quickly...

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening." I whispered to myself. "It's all... just... a bad dream." Even as I said it, the loud groan beside me didn't sound like a bad dream. The bright blue, deeply mischievous eyes that slowly opened and looked my sheet clad body up and down as a large, lecherous grin swept across the ferret's face didn't _feel_ like a bad dream. As a matter of fact, if it had been anybody but Malfoy (and I suppose one of the Professors), it would probably have been a _very_ good dream. Bonus points would be awarded for being able to remember.

"What was that, pet?" he asked, propping his head up on his arm and facing me, nude and unashamed. It was a foreboding and endearing kind of quality at the same time and I didn't know why I thought it so. "Did you say something?" Those hidden muscles did not appear so well hidden now, and I desperately wished he was wearing some pants.

It took me a couple minutes to find my words, or to remember how to speak, but when I did, he was going to get it! "Umm... why are we here?" That's it, Hermione! Really give it to him! His right eyebrow rose in amusement as he gave me that obnoxious smirk of his. Stupid prat.

"The great Hermione Granger needs _me_ to tell her that?" Draco asked. Then he let out a loud laugh. "Don't tell me your filthy muggle parents didn't fill you in on the act." I scowled, and before I knew what I was doing, I had grabbed the first thing I could and gave his head a good whack. He didn't take my creative uses of his shoe too kindly. In fact, he grabbed my wrist roughly and squeezed it until I dropped said shoe. Oh, he definitely had strength, even if it wasn't immediately noticeable. In one swift motion, I dropped the shoe and dragged underneath him, my hands held above my head.

"Get off me, you prat!" I growled, struggling against him. He just sat there, delicately balanced on my waist so he didn't place too much pressure, grinning and laughing like the weasel that he was. It was embarrassing and infuriating. I was completely helpless, and I wouldn't stand for it. I just had to find the right way to move to kick him...

"Will you stop!" he snarled. It was growing harder for him to keep balanced with my legs shifting every few seconds, until finally, I found the right position and his back a good shove with my knee. Of course, it didn't work quite the way I'd planned. Instead, he fell forward on top of me, and for a brief moment the only thing between us was the thin cotton sheet, which did basically nothing. I felt my face flush again as the warmth of his body crept through the sheet and met with mine. I could say with full certainty that just because you couldn't see his muscle doesn't mean it wasn't there, and if it had been a different situation, I probably would've savored every moment that I could sit there, tracing my hands over every inch of him and drinking it in like an alcoholic after a long dry spell for as long as I possibly could. I probably already had.

Faces a mere inch apart, we lay there for a long moment, the _longest_ moment. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest; feel his warm breath as it brushed against my forehead. I almost envied him, being able to breathe so easily. My breath wouldn't come to me. All I could do was stare up at him, into pools of a deep blue that seemed to hide so many things. I gulped, trying to make my brain work and failing miserably. It wasn't until I felt the soft brush of lips against mine, or the hand sliding down my arm and caressing my chin, that I realized exactly what was happening. My wits beginning to return, I gave him a good shove and jumped out of bed, tying the sheet around myself. Draco groaned and rolled his eyes as he watched my every move.

I gathered up my clothes, which had been haphazardly tossed around the room the previous night. I found my skirt by the door, my bra hanging off one of the bed posts, my shirt was in the tub in the bathroom, and my sweater was by the mirror. My panties were nowhere to be seen. "_Where_ _are my panties?_" I heard a howl of laughter and shot up from my position by the bed, letting whatever blankets and sheets hadn't been tossed or tangled about fall to the floor. Draco sat on the bed, his pale face almost red with laughter. "WHERE. ARE. MY PANTIES."

"You mean you don't remember?" he asked after a long moment. I jumped up and shot across the room, heading for Draco's things. I grabbed his pants and started searching the pockets. "Hey!" He ran over to me and pulled them from my grasp. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm looking for whatever you gave me!" I snapped. That eyebrow rose once again.

"Whatever _I_ gave _you_?" he asked, appearing shocked that I'd even considered the possibility. I stood as tall as I could, which really wasn't very impressive at 5'2 and a half, and glared up at him as murderously as I could.

"What was it?" I snapped. "GHB? Rohypnol?" He looked confused and offended at my interrogation.

"Rohipwhat?" he asked. I snarled and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME!" I screamed at him. His expression changed from confusion to anger, and for a moment, I was almost scared. Then I remembered my indignation, and I got over it. He shoved my finger out of the way.

"I. DID. NOT." he growled at me through gritted teeth. "Why do my women _say_ that?" _**His**_ women? Why that son of a...

"I AM NOT A WOMAN!"I yelled. Wait, that didn't come out right. He laughed and I reached up to give him one good slap across the face. He caught my arm mid-air and sneered down at me.

"Will you stop hitting me!" Annoyed that I'd been caught, I ripped my arm from his grasp and glared up at him.

"No!" I yelled, before turning around and grabbing my clothes, heading to the bathroom to dress. There was no way that I would be caught _dead_ dropping my sheet in front of _Malfoy_. I slammed the door and set my clothes down on the counter by the sink, determined not to look at myself in the mirror and being unable to stop myself.

Untamable brown hair was brushed away from my face and the sheet that I had been clinging to as my lifeline was useless; I may as well have been wearing nothing. I grimaced. If time had good to Draco Malfoy, it had been detrimental to me. I had grown as tall as my mother and stopped. I wasn't a health food nut or an exercise addict like Lavender or Pavarti, and even though I was thin, I wasn't some kind of stick figure – at least, not the kind that Harry and Ron seemed to admire. I hadn't even grown in the bust department; actually, I was pretty sure that I had gotten smaller. On most days, I couldn't even stand to look at myself for very long.

I sighed, turning away from the mirror and looking at my clothes, wrinkled and lying in a heap. I sorted them out, pulling out my bra and struggling for a moment with the hooks in the back, then sliding on my shirt. I slid on my skirt, thankful that I'd chosen a longer and thicker one than usual for the cooler weather. I pulled on my sweater despite the warmth of the room, wanting as much there between myself and Draco as possible. After a few minutes of mentally preparing myself, I closed my eyes, grabbed the doorknob, and swung the door open, scowling when I found Draco still sitting on the bed, proud of his nudity. "Where are my shoes?" I asked. He shrugged, watching me as I stomped out of the bathroom and quickly surveyed the room. Spying my shoes, I quickly slid them on.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Draco asked suddenly. I placed my hands on my hips as I turned to face him.

"Do what?"

"Leave. We had a pretty good time last night." he answered. "You're very _flexible_." His face twisted into another one of his knowing, evil smirks. Infuriated, I opened my mouth to respond, hoping to come up with something very sharp and nasty that would completely level him and knock that obnoxious smirk off his face, but for the life of me, I couldn't come up with one. Growling, I turned and charged out of the room, slamming the door behind me. I could his laughter all the way down the hall as I left the inn.

The streets of Hogsmeade were quiet as I paced, trying to figure out where I was and what to do. The only people out were middle aged wizards heading to lunch. There wasn't a Hogwarts student or professor among them, and they all walked right past me, pushing me to the side as they made their way through the lunch rush. I had tried to ask one or two of them a question, like what the time was, or if they had seen one of the professors, or even if they'd seen Harry – of my two best friends, Harry was the more recognizable. No one listened, and in fact, they got angry at me for interrupting their day or their conversations. Finally, I gave up and chose the front stoop of an old, boarded up store to sit on, holding my head in my hands. It was wrong. It was all so very, _very wrong_.

"They've all left by now." I glanced up at the sound of Draco's voice. He was leaning against the wall of the store, arms crossed over his chest. "They left hours ago."

"Why won't you go away?" I whined. He chuckled, enjoying himself.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he sneered. I'm going to find a very convincing reason for beating you senseless with my shoe.

"I'm going to find a way back to Hogwarts." I said. Yeah, that sounded good. I'll go with that.

"With no money and no panties?" he asked. I shot him a look and he turned, examining his perfectly manicured nails. "I happen to have a bag of floo powder back in my room." My eyes narrowed. Fat chance I'm going back with you!

"I can find my own way back, thank you." I hugged my knees to my chest. He sighed.

"I tried." he muttered, turning and walking away. I closed my eyes, trying to think. I could fly back, except that I didn't know where to go, and I didn't have a broom. I could take a train back, but I didn't have any money. I could always send an owl to a professor, but then... I didn't have an owl. I sighed. Floo powder would definitely come in handy about now. Stupid ferret.

"Malfoy!" I yelled, hoping to catch him before he left. I stood up and ran, stopping at the side of the building. There was Draco, practically posing, with a wide grin. "Fine." I spat. "But only this once, and _only_ because I'm desperate." He held out a hand for me to lead the way.

"Funny." he mused. "All my women say _that_ too."


	2. Chapter 2

When I was six, I wandered away from my parents in the supermarket. I had forgotten to grab something that I desperately wanted from the candy aisle, so while my parents were busy trying to pick out a breakfast cereal that was both healthy and would satisfy my sweet tooth, I went two aisles over to grab a package of Swedish Fish and then found a Nancy Drew book and sat, snacking and reading. My name was called over the intercom, there was a storewide search complete with police officers, and when I was done reading (Nancy Drew got the bad guy in the end), I wandered over to the checkout where my parents were waiting. My mother cried for an hour and slept in my room for a week, and my dad... well, he bought me the Nancy Drew book. Actually, he bought me a _lot_ of Nancy Drew books.

I missed the return to Hogsmeade and spent the entire night shacked up in a room with a very naked Draco, and no one even noticed the Head Girl and Head Boy were missing. I had previously considered Hogwarts students to an intelligent, rather observant lot. As Harry and Ron waved me over to sit by them for lunch, I was positive that I was mistaken. Taking one last peak behind me, unsure what I was expecting to see, I stalked past the many hungry Gryffindors and found my sit next to Ginny. "Good morning." I greeted everyone, trying to act normally.

"Morning, 'Mione." Harry greeted me in response, gingerly sneaking a glance in Ginny's direction when he thought she wasn't looking. I resisted the urge to smile at him, quite badly I might add, and grimaced at Ron to Harry's left, who barely managed to spit out a 'morning' sleepily as he practically shoveled food into his mouth.

"Morning?" Ginny asked me, her brow furrowed in confusion. "'Mione, its half past noon." I froze, panic rising in my chest. Half past noon... Half past noon... Half past noon? Had I really slept that long?

"Half past noon?" Ron asked, clearly as confused as I was. "You mean this isn't the breakfast feast?" I stared at him for a long moment. Only Ronald could ask such a question. Wait, didn't I just... Ginny scowled at him.

"No, Ron. It's lunch. You only think that it's breakfast because you just got up ten minutes ago." Ginny replied. Ron looked offended at Ginny's words.

"Hey, I needed that sleep. It was a really late night, you know." Ron defended himself.

"Oh? And what _were_ you doing up so late?" Ginny asked. I didn't know whether to be happy that the attention was off me, or frustrated beyond comprehension that only one of my friends had noticed that I hadn't returned to Hogwarts with the rest of them. I grabbed a small slice of sandwich off the table in front of me and picked at it, trying to feel hungry, as I listened to them. Harry and Ron shared a quick glance at each other.

"Studying." Ron said with a rather superior expression as Harry grinned. I frowned at the two.

"Studying what?" I asked. "It's the half term. There's been no school for a week." Now Ron looked offended at _me_. He leaned back a little and folded his arms across his chest, pouting at me.

"Can't a bloke care about his schooling?" Ron asked. "Maybe I want to do better. Maybe I want to get higher grades. Maybe _I_ want to know all the answers."

"Maybe he was in the library all night, snogging with Pavarti." Harry said, grinning madly as Ron glared at him and turned a bright red. Ginny and I laughed, and for a brief moment, it was as though everything were normal. Harry continued to eye Ginny secretly, though I knew that everyone at the table saw Harry sneaking glances at her at one time or another. Ronald went back to stuffing his mouth with food. And, after a quiet meal, in which I ate practically nothing and managed to swallow the slightest bit of pumpkin juice, I excused myself to head to my room.

I had not experienced a hangover before, but at that moment, I was stalwartly determined to never experience one again. I rubbed my head as I neared the doors to the great hall, wishing that the pounding headache would subside, if only for a moment. Maybe I was getting a migraine. In any case, I blamed the throbbing in my head from the firewhiskey that _Malfoy_ had probably given me for not paying any attention as to where I was going. I shouldn't have been so surprised when I collided with something warm and rather tall. I stumbled backwards a few steps but managed to keep my footing, my eyes looking up to the same bright blue that I'd met that morning.

"Granger." Draco greeted me with a sneer.

"Ferret." I replied, trying to sound indifferent instead of deep in shock. I wasn't sure if I was succeeding, but I had a pretty good idea that I wasn't. He glared down at me, eyes dark and furious.

"_Don't_ call me that." Draco growled through clenched teeth.

"I'll call you whatever I like." I snapped. He leaned forward and looked like he was about to say something, before suddenly breaking out into a grin once again.

"Fine." he said. "Then call me Studmuffin." That same indignation that I'd felt that morning was beginning to come back.

"Are you insane?" I asked, lowering my voice so only the two of us could hear. "I'm not going to call you Studmuffin." I stated.

"Why not?" he asked. "You seemed rather keen on the expression _last night_." he said, placing a special emphasis on the words 'last night'. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I glared up at his amused face with a thoroughly scandalized expression.

"You're lying." I accused. "You're making that up. I would never call _anyone_ Studmuffin, especially not _you_." I hoped, anyway. He let out a low chuckle for a moment.

"Oh, you called me Studmuffin, alright." he said, happy at my discomfort. He leaned down, inches from my face. "Actually, you _screamed_ it." he whispered.

"You're a dirty weasel!" I yelled, grabbing the attention of most everyone in the great hall. I supposed I couldn't blame them. It wasn't every day that you saw the Head Girl and Head Boy arguing and calling each other names. At least, not before this year.

"If I were _you_," he said, looked disgusted at the thought. "I would be nicer to me." He brushed past me easily enough and found himself a seat at the Slytherin table beside Blaise Zabini and his two brainless henchmen.

I hoped that he was back to normal and would go back to calling me a filthy mudblood, and making me want to viciously hurt him. Of course, then I realized that he would probably announce to the entire Hogwarts student body that something, though I had yet to figure out what that was, had happened, and go into all sorts of details that I would be in no position to deny. I would have tried to appeal to his conscience; you know, if he had one. As it was, he had towered over with a rather wide, rather lecherous grin that seemed to show off his canines menacingly.

"Asshole." I growled, staring at him for a long moment. Despite myself, I couldn't help but his perfect posture as he sat, making loud remarks and lewd jokes and laughing like an idiot. It wasn't until Blaise Zabini glanced across the room and saw me that I turned quickly, brushing my hair behind my ear, and hurried up to my room for a long bath and a fresh pair of underwear.

I wasn't exactly inexperienced. Viktor and I had been dating since fourth year. I'd gone out to visit him a lot during the summers, and even once or twice during the winter and spring breaks. We hadn't gone all the way – I wasn't really ready for that – but we'd certainly shared enough kisses to be considered intimate. Besides, Viktor wasn't much into kissing, so the subject had rarely come up. However, the soreness I felt in my thighs was definitely telling me a different story about last night, and I was left with my imagination to figure out exactly what had happened. I was none too happy about the situation, as anyone could imagine.

I pulled a pair of pants and a t-shirt out of my trunk, sliding them on. I had discarded the clothes I was wearing earlier in a pile by the door the second I'd entered the room, deciding that I would burn them later. Now, though, I gazed at them in retrospect, thinking that was perhaps a bit excessive and a good cleaning would probably do the trick. I might never find the matching panties for my bra, though.

I sighed as I pulled my hair back in a low ponytail, trying to focus my thoughts anywhere but on Draco 'Studmuffin' Malfoy.

I fell back on my bed, enjoying the soft sheets and the faint smell of jasmine and lavender perfume that Ron had given me for my fifteen birthday as an 'I love you, but let's be friends' gift. I'd been initially very confused, but then I'd learned that he'd actually stolen it from his mother, and it made a bit more sense. I could only hope that he didn't try that move with Pavarti. She probably wouldn't take it quite as easily as I had. It was really very funny, how things turn out. It was also funny how very sore I was.

I closed my eyes, happy to have even a few moments of peace. It was a rarity as Head Girl. The pounding in my head had seemed to cease and my eyes grew heavy. I didn't try to fight the irresistible need for sleep that washed over me like a drug.

I woke to the sound of desperate knocking against my door and a voice that I recognized as Ginny calling my name. Yawning sleepily, I sat up and slid off the bed, glancing back momentarily at the sound of something sliding off and hitting the floor. I frowned as I noticed a crumpled envelope and made a mental note to look. I walked over to the door and opened it, surprised when Ginny burst in and stormed across my room, yelling.

Ginny frowned at me. "Harry's a lousy git!" she declared, falling down on my bed. I sighed, walking over and sitting beside her.

"Okay, what did he do now?" I asked. "You guys seemed like you were getting along." She sat up and glared at me.

"Does it matter?" she asked. I laughed.

"Yes, it kind of does." I answered her. She huffed and fell back on my bed. I waited for her to say something for a long moment before sighing. "Come on, Ginny. What's going on?" She groaned before sitting up and grimacing at me.

"I..." she stumbled on her words. "I have a confession to make." she told me seriously. I gazed at her in confusion, waiting for her to continue. What could she possibly have to say? "I'm dating Harry Potter." Oh yeah, that was surprising. I only saw that about two miles and a third world country away. "Well?" Ginny asked, waiting for my response.

"I'm waiting to hear the problem." I told her.

"You have nothing to say about me dating Harry?" she asked me in disbelief. I sighed.

"Gin, we've been waiting for it to happen." I told her. "Half of Hogwarts has bets on when you guys finally go public." I left out the bet about finding them making out in one of the school's various broom closets. Neither bet had yet to be settled, as far as I knew.

"Everybody?" she asked.

"Everybody." I confirmed. She gave me a look of apprehension.

"Ron knows?" she asked, almost in a whimper. I almost burst into laughter. Ron was clueless. I would've thought that he'd been hexed had I not known him for so long.

"Well, of course Ronald doesn't know anything." I told her and she gave me an immediate look of relief with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. I frowned. "Ginny, what's going on?" She looked around for a moment, as if someone could be listening to us, before leaning forward and whispering to me.

"So, Harry and I have been dating for a few months now..." she whispered.

"A few months? You got together over the summer?" I asked her. I thought Harry spent the summer with Lupin and Tonks. She practically started crying at that point.

"No, we didn't!" she yelled, jumping off my bed. "In fact, we haven't been together at all!" I gazed up at her, my face distorted in confusion.

"But you two have been making eyes at each other ever since we got here." I said. "You've been together almost every second." She gave me a very grave expression.

"That's _not _the kind of together I'm talking about." she said. I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying and failing to do so. She rolled her eyes at my baffled look and groaned.

"Huh?" I asked.

"SEX, Hermione. I'm talking about sex!" Ginny screamed and I jumped. Sex. Right. Sex... yeah. Sex?

"Wait, so you're saying that Harry is a git because..." Ginny looked at me impatiently.

"It's been three months, Hermione._ That is __**not **_normal." she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. It occurred to me to ask her exactly how she knew that that wasn't normal, but I changed my mind quickly. I didn't think that I wanted to know her frame of reference. She sighed and fell back on my bed, and I was stuck standing and staring at her uncomfortably. Ginny, Ron's baby sister, was dating my best friend. She was sitting in _my _room, talking about having sex with my best friend. I could feel that headache coming back - and I thought 'Studmuffin' Malfoy was the worst of my problems.

"Look, 'Mione, I know this is an... awkward position to put you in, but you're _my _best friend, and I just... I need my best friend." Ginny said. What was I supposed to say to that? No? Come on, Hermione. Who says no to their friends, especially those who need help? I yawned, tucking some of my brown hair behind my ear gingerly.

"Maybe... he's being respectful." I suggested. She scoffed. "Maybe he really cares about you and doesn't want to rush you." She gave me an expression that I'd often seen my cousins give me when I suggested reading a good book over playing 'spin the bottle' growing up. It said 'yeah, right'. I didn't really want to say the only that was left that I could think of. I didn't even want to _think_ about the mere _possibility_ of it. "Maybe... he has..." Oh, come on, Hermione, just say it. "Staying problems." I finally choked out.

"Trust me," she replied. "He has a lot of problems, but _that's_ not one of them." I frowned.

"Gin..." I didn't know how to ask the question that I wanted to ask. Was I going to sound cruel or offend her? "Is it really so important for you two to... you know." She gazed at me as though I were an alien, or perhaps a very hostile hippogriff.

"Hermione, this isn't just some silly crush." Ginny said. "I _love_ Harry. I really love him, and by all the muggle gods in the world, I want to have _sex_ with him."

"Okay, bu-"

"Maybe I'm just..." she mumbled to herself. "Maybe he doesn't want me."

"Gin, he's been in love with you for the past three years." I told her. "Just give him some time." She stared at me for a long moment, thinking, before slowly nodding.

"Yeah, you're right." she said. "Thanks, Hermione."

After my reluctant heart-to-heart with Ginny, it was time to head down to dinner, which I skipped. I couldn't keep myself from thinking about Ginny and her newfound knowledge of men and their... habits. I wondered if there was a wizard version of condoms, and whether, if I asked Draco about it, he would give me an honest, or at least plausible, answer to whether we used protection. My instincts told me that he'd probably covered that front. I doubted that Lucius Malfoy would take kindly to his son getting a 'filthy mudblood' pregnant any more than my parents would be happy to find that out that I was sexually active.

Besides, I wasn't looking forward to sitting across from Ginny and Harry and pretending not to be contemplating their situation. Instead, I was going to rush to the library quickly and do a little research. Classes were due to begin tomorrow, and if I didn't get at least one answer to the dozens of burning questions that were now floating around in my head, I would probably vomit. Damn Malfoy and his perfectly shaped penis!

I froze mid-step just outside the library, wishing I could kick myself in my head. I couldn't believe that I'd just thought that. Okay, Hermione. New plan. Take the books and run. It would be best if you weren't out in public in this condition. Yes, I thought, that's a good plan. I took a deep breath and ran into the library, heading to the section with books on advanced transfiguration, then to the dark arts section, and when I'd grabbed all the books that I needed for school, I snuck into the medicinal section. Hopefully no one would notice me - after all, they hadn't noticed that I was missing from the school for an entire night and half the morning. Why should they notice me now?

The library was empty anyway. It was a Sunday night, and by now people were usually finishing their dinner or heading back to the common rooms to get the most out of their one last night of freedom. I was alone as I shuffled through shelf after shelf of books. There was a book on spells, a book on herbs and their uses. I couldn't decide what book to look through for an answer to my specific question, so naturally, I took down a whole stack. Flipping through the pages methodically, I'd occasionally glance back at the door or the gaps between shelves, hearing a noise or thinking that I'd seen something.

It hadn't occurred to me at the time that they wouldn't keep books with those kinds of spells in a school library - it gave them ideas. I sighed, tossing the books aside. Two hours of research and no answers; what a complete waste of time. I leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling tired and more than a little hopeless.

_"Yes... oh, Draco!" _

"_I love you, Her-"_

"Hermione?" I jumped, shocked out of my reverie. Looking up, I frowned to find Harry looking at me with a worried expression. "Are you okay?" I pushed away from the shelf, rubbing my aching eyes.

"Yeah, sorry." I said. "I'm just tired." He didn't look like he believed me, but he let it go. He scratched his head, looking sheepish for a long moment, before gathering the courage to talk.

"'Mione, can I uh... can I ask you a question?" he asked. I looked around, wondering what the time was. The library had to be close to closing. I looked at my stacks of books. They were going to be hell to drag back to my room.

"Of course. What's going on?" I waited patiently for him to get past his embarrassment to actually ask me a question.

"Has Ginny... I mean, has she talked about us at all?" he asked, eyes darting about. I groaned inwardly. First Ginny, now this?

"Uh, well... I- I don't know, Harry." I said quickly. He sighed.

"It's just... lately she's been... distant." he said. Distant? Ginny? But she was just talking to me a few hours ago complaining that you haven't slept together yet.

"I don't know if I'd say distant." I told him. He looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I tried to decide the best way to approach the situation as Harry looked at me expectantly. I could be bold, and tell him exactly what Ginny had told me, but that would be breaking the confidence of one of my best friends. Plus I didn't know how to say it without sounding cold.

"Look... uh..." I sighed. "Maybe you and Ginny should talk about it." _Please!_ I was practically screaming in my head. He looked at me dejectedly.

"_Did_ she say something?" he asked nervously. I felt kind of bad for him.

"Look, I think it'd be better if you just took to dinner and talked to her about it." Put on a little music, light some candles... He sighed depressively. "It'll be okay, Harry. She really likes you. You guys will work it out." He nodded and picked up a few of my books to help me carry them back to my room. I smiled appreciatively and followed him out.

**A/N: I know, it's not incredibly long for the amount of time that you guys waited for it, and I actually meant to have it up a little sooner than I did. But actually, my mom's been on vacation this week, and she hasn't had a vacation in over four years. She teaches doctorate students how to write and do research for a university, so she could definitely use the break. So that's where I've been, and I literally haven't had time to get on my computer until now. Half of this chapter was actually written on my nifty Samsung Blackjack.**

**I promise, I'll update the next chapter sooner than I did with this one!**

**Oh, and thanks to all of the awesome people who're reviewing and reading! (I would make a happy face, but I think deletes those) You guys rock!!**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Draco..." Hermione closed her eyes as Draco brushed a loose strand of her hair from face. She ran her hands along his bare chest, loving the warmth of the soft skin. Lips brushed against hers and she fell back against the wall as the kiss quickly turned passionate and stole her breathe. Draco slid his hands under her shirt, running them slowly across her stomach. She gave him a lustful smile as he-_

"AHHHHH!" I jumped up in my bed, eyes focusing and refocusing on the wall in front of me as my head spun in a thousand different directions. What was that? What the bloody _hell_ was that? No, no, no. I was _not_ just dreaming of Draco. I slid my legs over the side of my bed, strands of curly brown hair that had fallen out of my braid in my sleep brushing against the side of my face. I pulled the tie out, letting the braid unwind itself and tumble against my neck. No, I couldn't have been dreaming about Draco. It was someone else. I ran a hand through my hair, searching for an explanation. It wasn't Draco... It was... it was... I frowned.

Harry! It was Harry! I laughed and sighed in relief. I had been dreaming about Harry!

Wait... dreaming about Harry? I was dreaming about Harry running his hands all my body? My relief began to waver. That wasn't good either... necessarily... I groaned, stretching as I walked over my bathroom. That was one of the perks of being Head Girl. The workload may have been a little insane for any student, but I got my own room, and my very own _bathroom_.

I didn't stop to look at myself in the mirror as I set out a towel and pulled off my shirt and the cotton panties that I wore to bed. I turned on the faucet and the tub started to fill with steaming water. I was happy when the mirror started to fog up and I grabbed my necessities from the counter. I sank in the water and closed my eyes, starting my mental checklist for the day. I had an early meeting with the Prefects, then I would grab some breakfast – if I made it to the Great Hall on time, which wasn't always a guarantee – then classes would pick up again. I had Advanced Transfiguration first, with a handful of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Then it was to Potions, with the Slytherins... I frowned. It was just like Draco to be almost everywhere that I had to be that day. I squared my shoulders.

Well, I wasn't going to let it bother me. He could try and get a rise out of me, but it wouldn't work. I'm Hermione Granger, I thought, and I won't stoop to his level. _You already did..._ Oh, shut up.

I finished washing and dried off, throwing on my uniform for the day. I made sure all of my homework was in order and that I had everything that I needed in my bag before pulling my hair back and pulling a light sweater over my head. Hogwarts was always chilly in the mornings, no matter how hot it got during the day. It was probably because it was actually a castle.

I slid on my flat shoes and grabbed my bag before heading to the portrait hole and stepping out. I made sure it closed properly before—"Oof!" I bounced back against the portrait hole and glared up at the person in front of me. Of course it was Draco. What was that I was saying about him being everywhere I was going to be?

I crossed my arms over my chest. "_What_ are _you_ doing here?" I asked him sharply. He seemed to be amused by my annoyance, which wasn't really any different from how he normally was. I tried not to notice how annoyingly perfect his hair looked.

"I'm here to escort you to the meeting with the Prefects." he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. I glared at him.

"I don't _need_ an escort." I replied. "Thank you very much." His self-assured, annoyingly confident, asinine smile faltered for a second, before he leaned down close to me.

"You seemed to enjo-" I rolled my eyes and pushed him back.

"Honestly, Malfoy, are you planning to blackmail me forever?" I asked. "It's beginning to get old." He sneered down at me, unhappy that I'd pushed him away.

"Perhaps we should just tell everyone then." he suggested. "Would you like to tell Pothead and Weasel, or should I?" I growled, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You wouldn't dare." I snapped at him. He smirked, his eyes flickering from mine for a moment.

"Wouldn't I?" he sneered, brushing some of my hair from my face. I would have been put off by the contact if I hadn't wanted to hurt him so much. "Shall we?" he asked. He grabbed my arm and dragged me along instead of waiting for answer. I pulled my arm from his and when we passed an empty classroom, I shoved him in. I made sure no one was around to hear us before I got right in his face.

"No one would believe you." I told him. "No one's that thick. Not even Crabbe and Goyle." He burst out laughing and I watched with quiet fascination as his face filled with color. It wasn't... unpleasant... once you got past the maniacal laughter and the fact that it was Draco Malfoy.

"You have me there." Draco admitted. I smiled triumphantly.

"Well, then I suggest we jus-"

"It's a good thing I've got proof."

"Just pretend tha- wait, proof?" I scowled up at him. "Proof? What proof?" He gave me an evil grin before reaching into his uniform and pulling out – I gasped in utter horror – the bright pink lace panties that I hadn't been able to find when I was in a hurry to get out of Hogsmeade. He waved them in front of my face, laughing as I let out a whimper every time they moved. I was deflated. My determination was beginning to waver. Draco Malfoy was really beginning to get to me. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that made Ron and Harry cower when they saw it.

"Give. Those. _Back._" I demanded through gritted teeth. I pondered how well I could hide a body in Hogwarts and who would miss him.

"No." he said, holding them above my head. I jumped to grab them from his hand, but he moved them out of reach, all the while grinning like a fool. I sighed, setting my bag down as he watched me with amusement, eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"I said, _give me my panties!_" I growled. He continued to grin and took a step back, holding them above my head. I cannot be held response for my next actions. I ran forward, jumping on him. He made a noise as we moved back, Draco practically tripping on his own feet from my momentum. I tried to grab the panties from his outstretched hand as we fell backward, squealing happily when I closed my hand on the lacey garment.

"SHIT!" We slammed against the floor. I felt my wrist bang against something hard and I dropped the panties just out of reach from where I'd landed squarely on top of Draco. "DAMMIT GRANGER!" he yelled into my chest. I rolled my eyes, pushing myself up a little and wincing when my right hand couldn't support my weight. I fell closer down near Draco, his face just above where my button up shirt was left open at the top of my low-cut sweater. I didn't even have to look at him to know that his eyes were wandering where they shouldn't be. He gave me a lecherous grin. "You know, Granger, if you wanted to be on top, all you had to do is ask." I scowled down at him.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to torture me?" I asked, perhaps a bit melodramatically. I ignored the strange feelings that seemed to twist and flutter in my stomach as I felt his warm breath brush against my skin. He just lay there, grinning up at me.

"No." he answered simply, giving me a look that I supposed was meant to be charming. I groaned, trying once again to push myself up. I couldn't put any weight on my right hand and fell back down against him, a cry escaping my lips at the pain. We laid there for a moment before he sighed. My eyes popped wide open when he placed his hands on my hips and I looked down at him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him quickly.

"Shhh." he commanded, helping to push me. I got to my knees and then stood up, brushing dust off my skirt as he followed suit. I frowned at his now disheveled appearance. His hair wasn't exactly perfect anymore. I sighed, feeling vulnerable, annoyed, homicidal, and... something else that I couldn't place, all at once. He frowned at me. "What, no thank you?"

"Look at this!" I commanded, showing him my wrist. "It's probably broken!" He looked at it, and for a few trace seconds I thought I saw concern in his eyes, but it passed too quickly for me to be sure.

"So?" he asked, apparently not interested. I couldn't believe my ears.

"So? _So?_" I stared at him in disbelief. "So, _it's your fault._" He gave me an offended look.

"My fault?" he asked.

"Yes." I told him. "Your fault. This is all _your fault!_" I screamed. Now he was beginning to look angry.

"How the hell is my fault?" he asked, face contorted with fury. I stamped my foot in anger and pointed a finger at him.

"You wouldn't give me the panties!" I growled. He glared at my finger for a moment before recognition hit the both of us and our eyes widened together in an almost mirror image of each other.

"THE PANTIES!" We both dove for them at the same time, wrestling with each other when Draco's longer arms got the pair first and I couldn't get them back from him with the use of only one hand. I sat on the floor, pouting up at him as he held them up triumphantly.

"Well, Granger, looks as though you're at my mercy." he asked, enjoying the situation a bit too much for me. I refused to look at him, directing my gaze instead toward the door. He frowned and ran a hand through his hair, trying in vain to make it neat again. The look on my face must've been getting to him, because he seemed to squirm for a moment, unsure of what to do. Well, good, I thought. Let him squirm. The thought of Draco squirming was actually quite amusing. "Come on, let's get you to Madame Pomfrey." he said, reaching down to help me up. I reluctantly accepted his help, taking a step away from him.

"Madame Pomfrey? I can't go to Madame Pomfrey. We have a meeting to attend." I scolded him. "The Head Girl and Head Boy cannot simply _skip_ the Monday morning meeting." He rolled his eyes.

"Her-" he began. My eyes flickered to him and he corrected himself. "Granger..."

"Malfoy." I growled at him in warning. He sighed.

"Fine." he growled. "Let's go to the meeting." I gazed at him suspiciously.

"Fine." I said sharply. I looked at my panties in his hand. I huffed, grabbing my bag and turning to the door. He followed to the door, but the second I stepped out into the hall, I froze, finding myself face to face Ernie Macmillan. He opened his mouth to say something to me, but paused when he saw Draco come up behind, my bright pink panties still hanging off his finger tips. He took in our appearances and gave me a knowing look.

"It- it's not what you think." I told quickly. "It's that- we were just-"

"Don't you have a meeting to get to, Macmillan?" Draco sneered. Ernie's eyes shifted from me to Draco. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod before curtly beginning on his way again. I didn't have to look at Draco to know that he was grinning like a madman at the whole situation. I turned around and glared up at him. "Now that _was_ my fault." Draco said happily. I would have punched him, it was such a good memory from third year, but my right hand wasn't in working order and my left wasn't strong enough for that sort of thing.

"Put those in your pocket!" I demanded, pointing at the panties, and he reluctantly complied with a smirk on his face. I turned to walk away and he stood still, watching me go.

I could hear his feet clacking against the floor as he walked a few paces behind me. I didn't look back to find out what mood he was in, though I imagined it probably wasn't a good one. Not that I cared, of course. I was in pain because of him. He was just lucky that I wasn't right handed. I wondered what the time was and how much we had wasted in our scuffle over my underwear, which I was thoroughly determined to get back from him later. Prefects were like kindergartens, I thought. You couldn't leave them alone for very long, or at all, because they're _always_ sure to cause mischief. Monday mornings were especially important because we discussed shifts for the week and any students or problems in particular that had been problems.

I didn't notice that Draco had sped up and was walking beside me until he pulled the door open for me. I nodded to him, only to be polite. I wasn't going to be nice to him quite that easily. I charged past the Prefects towards the front of the room and called everyone's attention. I ignored Draco existence as he came up behind me. He was, after all, Head Boy. He did need to be at the front of the group and have a say in _everything_ that we discussed. I so desperately wanted to _hurt_ him at that moment.

I made sure that I had everyone's attention before making sure that people were present and hearing reports of what had happened over the last week during break. Some first years had gotten curious and wandered to a floor where they weren't allowed, having a run in with Fluffy (I'd always wondered what happened to him after Harry recovered the Philosopher's Stone). I chuckled lightly before noticing that the Prefects did not approve, and moved on to the next incident. I listened intently to everyone, going through changes in schedules and making notes about things in my head. I even listened when Draco spoke up, still surprised to find that he was actually taking his role seriously. He seemed to care about his position, and even liked it. I frowned in curiosity, watching him speak. His eyes flickered to mine and I blushed, turning away. I saw Ernie Macmillan smirk somewhere in the crowd. I had never wanted to hex anyone as much as I did in _that_ moment.

After we'd heard everyone speak, Draco and I went over changes in schedules and routes. I studiously ignored the growling in my stomach, wanting to get through the meeting and then see Madame Pomfrey. I wasn't sure which was worse, being hungry, or my arm throbbing.

When the meeting finally ended, I felt completely exhausted and wanted to go back to bed, school be damned. I collapsed on a chair and closed my eyes for a moment. "Umm..." I looked up when I heard the familiar uncertainty of Annie Williams, a Ravenclaw Prefect. "Are you okay?" she asked. I frowned.

"Of course." I said. "I'm just a little tired." She gave me a concerned look and shook her head.

"No, I mean... umm... you right hand. You didn't use it at all and now it's... turning purple." she said. Turning purple? I glanced down at my hand, eyes widening when I l saw the deep bruise. I groaned. That just... figured. I stood up and stalked over to where Draco stood, talking to Blaise Zabini. I froze in confusion when Blaise gave me the widest grin I'd ever seen him give anyone. It was actually a little... creepy. He and Draco seemed to very amused over something.

"Blaise." I said, acknowledging that he was there.

"Good morning, Granger. Don't you look nice today." he said pleasantly. If there had been more than one person with the name Granger in the room, I'd have been sure that he was speaking to someone else. I am the only Granger in Hogwarts, aren't I?

"I- uh, thank you." I stumbled over my words in shock at his sudden friendliness. "And how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just fine." Blaise said. "Though not as good as you, apparently." I gave him a confused look and he nodded across the room to where Ernie Macmillan was speaking to his friends, his voice just loud enough for me to hear over the emptying room. Blaise grinned as he watched my reactions.

"And that was when I saw them kissing and touching each other." he said. My jaw dropped. Oh, he was dead.

"Yeah, but pink and lacey?" one of the others asked. Ernie nodded.

"I was surprised too. I'd always had her pegged as a black leather dominatrix type, I mean-"

"So, how _did_ Hermione look naked?" Don't answer that. Don't answer that. Don't answer that. Ernie made a face and I wanted to slug him.

"Not _that_ good." he said. "She should work out more. She's got a bit of a belly." HEY!

"Clearly Draco's doing it out of pity." another said. I scowled.

"I don't know." Ernie said. "She seemed to know what she was doing. I was almost jealous." This brought some laughter from the others.

"Okay, okay, fine. How good _was_ she?" Ernie leaned over and whispered something to them and they laughed.

"What a slut!" I was about to march over there and give them a piece of my and teach them a good hex or two when I heard Draco and Blaise laughing. My anger finally got the better of me. I pulled my hand back and punched Draco right in the face. Everyone in the room froze, except for Draco and Blaise who appeared more amused than anything else. I screamed in pain and clutched my arm. It turned out that my punch had hurt me more than it had hurt Draco, because he didn't even need time to recover, and I had stupidly used my right hand. Draco sighed and said something to Blaise, but I was in too much pain to hear it clearly. He nodded and left, winking at me quickly, and Draco turned to me with a concerned, albeit amused, expression.

"Come on, Granger. Let's get you to Madame Pomfrey." he said. I didn't even protest when he snaked one arm around my waist and led me along the halls, tears of pain streaming down my face. I sniffled and sobbed, which I was happy to realize actually _did_ bother him. Stupid Draco stupid Malfoy and his stupid stupidness...

"Thi- this is al-" I couldn't even get the words out.

"I know, I know." Draco said softly with a sigh. "This all my fault. That's it, now. Just let it all out." In sheer and utter horror, that was exactly what I did, and by the time we'd made it to the hospital wing, I'd practically soaked his robs in tears and snot. He set me down on a bed and used his sleeve to wipe my eyes as Madame Pomfrey rushed over to us. My humiliation was complete.

"Goodness child. What happened?" she asked worriedly. I was still sobbing too much to speak.

"She broke her wrist." Draco answer, holding up my hand. Madame Pomfrey gasped, but I didn't have the heart to look. She rushed off to get something quickly. Draco stared down at me as I sobbed, rubbing the back of his head and looking around, I supposed trying to decide what to do. "Now, don't cry so much."

"I- I-" I gasped in between sobs. My day was falling apart. "I'll cry- cry as much as I want to." Draco sighed.

"'Course you will." He bent down a little and pulled my hair away from my face, rubbing my back with his other hand. Despite myself, it was comforting, and I was actually beginning to appreciate a softer side of Draco Malfoy – at least for the moment. Madame Pomfrey came back and used her wand to reset my wrist, giving me something to drink to help it along and ease the pain a little. I was told to take it easy that day, as it had obviously been rough so far. She left us alone and went to tend to someone else who'd come down with the flu. I leaned against Draco, who'd taken a seat beside me on the bed, and closed my eyes. The pain in my wrist was starting to feel a bit better, but to my dismay, my stomach was not at all happy. He let out a full bellied laugh when he heard it growl. I blushed, thinking about the time.

"I missed breakfast, didn't I?" I asked. He nodded. "DAMN." He laughed again, and this time it wasn't at all unpleasant, Malfoy or not. He reached into his bag and pulled something out, handing it to me. I stared down at it for a long moment, wondering what it was. "What's this?"

"Open it." he commanded. I eyed him suspiciously and he sighed. "Just open it." I unwrapped it to find a muffin and some eggs, still warm.

"Why did-"

"I figured you wouldn't make it to breakfast." he said quickly. "You never do on Mondays." What? He'd... he'd gotten me breakfast? I shook my head in confusion. He'd noticed that I never made it to breakfast? This was all so very... bizarre.

"Why are you doing this Draco?" I asked him. He looked at me, uncomprehending.

"What do you mean?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"I mean, you hate me. You have since first year." I told him. He looked around sheepishly.

"Well, hate may be a bit strong." he murmured. "I thin-"

"You've hexed me, hurt my friends. You can't seriously like me." I told him. He gave me an offended look for the second time that day.

"And why is that?" he asked angrily. I laughed bitterly.

"Because you hate mudbloods." I said simply. The emotions that flashed across his face were pure anger and frustration, and for the first time, it really did make me nervous, and he hadn't tried to hide it. He turned me toward him and put his face up against mine, anger still visible in his eyes.

"Don't _ever_ say such a thing again." he whispered firmly. His breath was warm against my face, bringing goose bumps to my arms and my neck. I could smell his aftershave and see the faint traces of stubble on his chin, and without thinking, I brought my left hand and pressed it to his cheek. His skin was so soft. He closed his eyes as I moved my hand along his chin to his lips, tracing them with my thumb. He looked at me again, deep blue eyes unguarded, and I saw something there that I hadn't expected to see in anyone's eyes when they looked at me. It wasn't lust, I could tell. It wasn't pity, like the other students had suggested. It wasn't hatred or loathing, like I'd always expected to see from Draco Malfoy. I closed my heavy eyes as he leaned in and kissed me, his tongue running along my lower lip, gently asking for permission. I kissed him back wholeheartedly, surprising myself.

He pulled away, his hand still caressing my shoulder. My eyes felt heavy and I was beginning to feel the effects of whatever it was that Madame Pomfrey had given me. I leaned against him and closed my eyes, feeling strangely glad when he didn't protest, and let the sleep take me.

"_This can't be happening." Hermione sobbed. Draco glanced around the room with an unsure look and scratched the back of his head. "It was so perfect. This is terrible!"_

"_Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is." Draco said, agreeing with her. Hermione looked up at him suddenly and grabbed his shirt collar, smothering his mouth with hers. Draco's eyes widened so large, he was half afraid they would fall right out of his head. When Hermione moved to pull away, he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. They broke long enough to take a breath, and Draco looked down at a rather distraught Hermione. "Hermione... Hermione, I-"_

"Hermione? Hermione!" I opened my eyes slowly, wishing that I hadn't been awakened. I still felt groggy from Madame Pomfrey's medicine – medicines always made me feel sleepy, whether they be magical or muggle. I felt myself yawn and roll over. "Hermione!" I fell back asleep with someone calling my name in my ear.

When I woke up again, classes for the day had already ended. My wrist was feeling better, though Madame Pomfrey quickly told me that I would have to wear a cast for a couple of days to be sure that it was healing properly. I smiled as I looked down at it, remembering when I was little and my cousin broke his leg. We all drew as much graffiti on it as possible in brightly colored pens and markers. I wondered if Harry and Ron and Ginny would want to do the same thing. _And Draco..._

I reluctantly got out of the bed and said a quick 'thank you' to Madame Pomfrey as I was leaving. It had become quite a pleasant day. It wasn't too hot or cold, and there was a nice breeze coming in from the open windows as I passed them. It was heavenly. I made my way down spiral staircase after staircase, following the hallways that I knew like the back of my head. Of course, I didn't always know the back of my head very well, what with the massacre of curls that seemed to breed.

It was strange how whenever I walked into a room or passed a group of students, they'd pause and look at me before beginning to whisper to each other, and yet I somehow wasn't bothered by it. It wasn't until I got to the Gryffindor dorms that I was bombarded by students. I backed away slowly in a panic, holding my bandaged arm to my chest and wincing as everyone was talking to me all at once, asking me questions that I couldn't decipher. Finally, after an undeterminable amount of time, Harry and Ron came to my rescue and pulled me away from a gathering crowd all asking questions and making comments that I couldn't understand. I gratefully let them pull me away to another part of the room where it was quiet, and I sat down on a cushioned chair as they looked at me expectantly. "Okay, 'Mione," Ron began. "Tell us what happened." I suddenly felt like I was being interrogated, and Harry and Ron were beginning to look like the mob from some cheesy muggle movie.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Ron sighed.

"What happened to your arm?" Harry asked. I froze, panicking. What happened to my arm? I tried to think of an excuse.

"I fell." I said lamely. I didn't expect them to believe me. I was waiting for more questions and for one of them to pull out a vial of veritaserum from their pocket, but apparently they were so desperate for an explanation that they accepted this response and sighed in relief. Harry flopped down on a chair across from me.

"Bloody hell." he muttered. "You had us worried there."

"Worried?" I asked. Ron scoffed.

"There's a rumor going 'round 'bout you and Malfoy." Ron said. "Ernie said he saw you and Malfoy in an empty classroom this morning, and that he was—" Harry coughed and kicked Ron's shin, though he ignored it and continued. "Going do-" Now I kicked Ronald and gave him an angry look. He yelped and grabbed his leg, glaring at me. "Blimey, 'Mione, that hurt!" I leapt to my feet.

"I've had just about enough of this, thank you very much." I started to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "Ronald Weasley, _you_ are an _ass_." I huffed and turned around again, ignoring the staring from everyone in the dorm as I ascended the stairs up to the girls rooms for a bit of privacy. Why had I come here, anyway? Stupid Ernie, I fumed. Oh, I was going to give the worst routes and shifts of any Prefect in Hogwarts history. He was going to regret the day he'd crossed me!

I opened the door and walked in, a sense of calm from the familiar surroundings of my childhood washing over me. I'd always loved this place – why had I left to become Head Girl? I sat down on one of the beds and leaned back, perfectly comfortable. I smiled as I thought back on the memories of I'd had in the room. First coming to Hogwarts and not fitting in. Talking endlessly with Ginny when we should have been sleeping. Floating on air after Viktor had asked me to the dance and describing everything that had happened to Ginny after I'd returned from visiting him.

I felt a sudden feeling of despair wash over me. _That's strange_, I thought. Why did thinking about Viktor make me feel... I heard the sound of footsteps outside the door and glanced over when the door opened. Ginny brushed her hair aside as she walked into the room. She came over to where I was and stood in front of me, glaring down at me angrily. I sighed. "What's going on, Gin?"

"What's going on?" Ginny asked. "What's going on is _YOU SLEPT WITH DRACO MALFOY!_" This time I couldn't even hide it, and the guilty that crossed my face was as plain as day. Ginny's jaw dropped and stood gaping at me. "_YOU SLEPT WITH DRACO MALFOY?!_"

**A/N: (does a happy dance) Well, I'm quite happy with how this turned out, and I looked back over and tried to catch any and all typos and such. If I missed any, I'm _insanely_ sorry, and I'll probably go back and edit it later. **

**In any case, I'm still insanely happy to have all of you wonderful people reading and reviewing and putting me on your favorites list! :) More to come very, very soon!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 04 / Dancing in the Sheets**

I never expected to be telling my gravest of mistakes to Ginny Weasley. But then again, I never really expected to be making any grave mistakes. The past day and a half had passed by me in a blur of events and faces that were hard to decipher and as distanced as I found myself feeling from that strange morning when I opened my eyes and realized that for the first very time, I was not alone in my bed, I couldn't deny the reality that it hadn't been that long ago. I also couldn't deny the fact that something very elemental had changed between Draco and me, though I wasn't exactly sure as to what that was and I was in no hurry to say such things aloud.

That didn't change the fact that little Ginny Weasley was gazing at me expectantly, waiting for me to confirm or deny her unusually accurate suspicions. I couldn't have stopped the guilty look that flashed across my face or the rapid beating against my rib cage as I tried to think of something to say. I needed a reason, an excuse, for what I had done. I needed _something_, though I didn't know exactly what it was or why it seemed so very important, despite everything in my head that was telling me I had made a huge mistake. I'm a grown woman, I reasoned. If I want to sleep with Draco Malfoy, I'll sleep with Draco Malfoy. If I want to sleep with Ron, or Harry, or Professor Snape – I would rather drink _poison_ than sleep with Professor Snape. Never the less, the point is that I can whatever I want. I was technically considered legal in the wizarding world. If I wanted to get drunk and have a one night stand with Draco Malfoy, then dammit! That was what I was going to do, and no one was going to stop me from that. "Yes, Gin. I slept with Malfoy." I said smoothly. My eyes quickly bulged when I realized what I'd just done. What was that, Hermione? Dammit, girl! You weren't really supposed to say that!

I wasn't sure what I had expected from Ginny. Perhaps I'd expected that her head would explode from shock, or perhaps I expected for her to just sit there, staring at me and wondering how exactly I'd lost my mind. Or maybe I'd expected her to start yelling, lecturing me on things like modesty and moral grounds and lines that you didn't cross, asking me how I could possibly have fallen into bed with an enemy of muggles and muggle-borne wizards everywhere. Judging by her pacing and her sudden girlish squeal of delight, though, she wasn't quite as horrified as I'd expected. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be rather happy about it.

"Oh, Hermione, this is great!" she squealed, giving me a big hug. I frowned at the wall behind her in confusion, thoroughly flabbergasted at her response. "All this time I was thinking you wouldn't understand about me and Harry! And now this!" Ginny pulled away from me and smiled and my eyes reconnected with her face, searching for a trace of displeasure or frustration towards me and disturbingly finding none.

"Huh?" I'm probably lucky that there weren't any flies at Hogwarts, my mouth hung open for so long.

"Okay, so you have to tell me _everything_." she commanded, taking a seat on a bed across from me. "How was it? What was it like? Was it good? Did you make a lot of noise? How did he touch you? Oh Merlin, how was he? 'Cause he looks like he would be a truly excellent shag." I can't believe my ears.

"Um..." I tried to think of what to do, what to say. What are you supposed to say in these kinds of situations? "I don't know." Ginny frowned.

"You don't know?" she asked me, confusion written across on her features. I chuckled nervously, wanting desperately to be talking about anything in the universe except what we were talking about.

"Well..." I tried to look anywhere in the room except in her direction. "I mean... I kind of... I mean I sort... Well, I mean don't exactly... remember." I admitted. Her face fell.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "How can you not remember? You slept with a Greek god and you don't remember." Sudden realization flashed across her face and she leaned toward me, speaking in hushed tones. "The sex can't have been that bad." she whispered to me. I blushed furiously at the thought.

"Ginny!"

"What? I was only asking." she said innocently. I sighed and shook my head.

"No, I... I think I was drunk." I confessed. "Really, _really_ drunk." Ginny gave me an uncomprehending look, as though I were speaking a foreign language and had just said something gloriously complex that no English person could possibly understand.

"You were drunk?" she asked me. "You. You were drunk." I groaned and nodded. She shook her head and grimaced before standing up and resuming her former position, arms once again crossed over her chest. "You didn't sleep with Malfoy." she declared, annoyance in her voice. I frowned. If only I could will it so that easily.

"What do you mean I didn't sleep with Malfoy?" I asked. "Of course I did." She shook her head, sending bright locks of red hair flying this way and that.

"Hermione, you don't do anything rash. You don't forget to study. You don't cheat on exams. You make sure to eat something from every food group at dinner. You don't sleep with your mortal enemy. And you most certainly don't get _pissed_." I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. Not even five minutes ago she was squealing for joy at my indiscretion. Now she was saying that I made the whole thing up?

"Ginny, I slept with Draco Malfoy." I told her. "I slept with him." She shook her head.

"Hermione, you need a hobby." Ginny said. "Listen, my friend Cassie gave me this thing shaped like a carrot. It's some sort of muggle device and I'll tell you, it's brilliant. You should try it." I stood up and glared at her.

"Ginny, I slept with Draco Malfoy." I said again. Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed.

"No, 'Mione. You couldn't possibly have." she said.

"And why not?" I asked, starting to get angry. She didn't even hesitate before she responded.

"Look, 'Mione, don't take this personally. It's just... you're not that pretty." she said easily. I felt a surge of white hot anger rise in my chest as I glared at her. "And besides, if I'd slept with Draco Malfoy, I certainly would've remembered." she said matter-of-factly as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Forget Draco Malfoy. I wanted to throttle not-so-little Ginny Weasley. I resisted the urge to grab her long red hair and rip every last strand out of her head.

"Ginerva Weasley, I slept with Draco Malfoy." I growled. "I rode him like a broomstick. I took him for all he had. We went at it like rabbits. We did the horizontal hoola. He was begging me for more." Somewhere along the line, my mouth and my brain must've lost track of each other, because I ran away with my words a little and might have exaggerated just a tad. Then again, I supposed, I might not have. It wasn't like I could remember for sure.

"I thought you couldn't remember." Ginny accused. I groaned and fell back on the bed. She stood, watching for a moment before gazing around inconspicuously. "Okay, so tell me this." I looked up as she took a seat next to me, biting her lip. "How big _was_ he?" I felt my face grow hot and she grinned. "Don't tell me you don't remember."

"Oh no, I remember." I've only been dreaming about it every time I close my eyes since he so graciously put it on display.

"Well?" she prompted. I sighed and closed my eyes, unable to bear the embarrassment of the whole situation that I'd found myself in.

"Pretty big." I choked out after a moment. She squealed again and grabbed my hand.

"So how's it feel?" she asked me. I looked up at her, frowning.

"How does what feel?" I asked.

"You know..." she replied. When I didn't say anything she rolled her eyes and filled in the blank. "Not being a virgin anymore." Ginny explained. Well, I wish I could take it all back, so obviously not that good.

"Why?" I asked, sitting up. "Why does it matter? Now there's this big rumor around school –"

"Several, actually." Ginny said quickly.

"All of my friends know-"

"You don't have any friends." I glared up at her interruption. "Oh, except for me, Harry, and Ron of course." she added quickly. I sighed.

"All of the teachers are going to hear about it-" Realization struck me like a fifty pound mallet. The teachers! Dumbledore! Dumbledore was going to know that I'd slept with Draco Malfoy! I cradled my head in my hands. "Dumbledore's going to know"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about hm." Ginny said. I looked at her.

"Gin, I could get in a lot of trouble over this." I told her. "I could lose my position." She scoffed.

"Hermione, the man is practically centuries old. He probably doesn't even remember what he ate for breakfast." Ginny said. Somehow her words didn't comfort me. I couldn't believe what a mess I'd gotten myself into. If only there was something I could do about it.

"If only I could remember." I cried. She frowned at me and thought for a long moment.

"Well, I suppose there's always Professor Trelawny." Ginny suggested. I felt like someone had just run me over with a Mac truck. Professor Trelawny? That old bat?

"Professor Trelawny?" I asked, grimacing as Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "How do you mean?"

"Take a look or two in her crystal ball. See what comes up." she said. She made it sound deceptively easy, but also deceptively tempting.

"I can't do that." I said quickly, shaking my head. I jumped up and paced back and forth, listing all of the reasons why it was a terrible idea in my head. "That... that would be... Merlin, Gin, I do have a boyfriend." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You should do it." Ginny told me. I gazed at her in disbelief. "Look, if you really want an answer about what happened, you should. I don't see any other options." Did I? I pondered it for a long moment. Did I really want an answer about what happened? It can't have been anything good for me to end up in that position. Ginny watched me in frustration, waiting for me to come to a decision. We both glanced up when there came a quiet knock on the door and a small face peaked in. I recognized it immediately as that of little Sarah Abbott, a first year. She glanced between the two of us nervously, obviously catching on that we were in the middle of a serious conversation.

"Umm..." she began quietly. "I- I'm very sorry to interrupt, but... um... Ron Weasley," She looked at Ginny nervously. "Well, he invited that Pavarti Patil to the common room, and then Pavarti caught him looking at another girl, and now they're fighting. The first years are all hiding, but they made me come and tell you because... um..." I felt bad for her. I sighed and stopped pacing.

"Of course." I murmured to myself. I smiled gently at her. "Thank you for coming to get me." I said appreciatively. She nodded in relief. Ginny rolled her eyes as we both followed her out and down the stairs to the common room.

"What a fat head." Ginny said just loud enough to hear. I laughed, feeling some of the tension from Ginny's interrogation beginning to slip away. My relaxation was only temporary, however. As we neared the common room, I could hear the screeching sound of yelling between two people.

"I'm your girlfriend Ronald, not just someone you shag sometimes!" Pavarti screamed.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Ron defended himself. "I just said she looked nice today!"

"You were fondling her butt!" Pavarti yelled. Ginny and I froze on the steps, looking back at each other and struggling not to laugh.

"I was complimenting her clothes!" Ron replied. I smothered a grin with my hand. Would Ronald never learn?

(O)(O)(O)(O)

I found my way back to my room and stumbled into the portrait tiredly. I kicked off my shoes and walked into the bathroom, pulling my hair and shaking it loose of the braid. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to manage with only one hand, but I somehow got through it. It was even more difficult to shrug myself out of my uniform and by the time that I'd managed it, I didn't even want to bother trying to slide on my pajamas. I curled up into my bed in just my underwear, sighing at the feeling of the soft sheets against my bare skin. If there was anything that I could applaud the Headmaster about, it was his choice for décor.

I spent a while trying to fall asleep. I figured whatever it was that Madame Pomfrey had given me was probably to blame, since I'd slept so long in the infirmary. I kept readjusting myself, thinking about what I'd have to make up for classes. Homework wasn't exactly easy for seventh years, and it wasn't meant to be. This was going to be my last year in Hogwarts, and the Professors were testing us to make sure that we'd absorbed everything we could so that we were ready for final exams. I rolled on my side and stared at my book shelves for a long moment. There was a lot of reading to be made up. I grimaced as I laid eyes on the books that I'd gotten from the library the night before. Fat load of help they'd been. I'd have to return them tomorrow, or maybe the day after that. Madame Pince would understand if I returned the books a little late, wouldn't she? After all, I was Head Girl, and it wasn't like I could really carry them with my arm the way it was.

I tried to be mad at Draco, to think something really vile and threatening about him for getting me into this whole situation, but I found strangely that I couldn't. He'd been acting so strangely, taking his role as Head Boy seriously and hushing me back in the infirmary after he'd brought me there. He'd even gotten me breakfast. I wanted to be mad at him, I really, _really_ did, but I just couldn't. I was mad the situation, at what I'd done, about what I'd have to do to fix all of it. Mostly though, I discovered, I was really mad at myself, and I didn't know why. I rolled over again and clenched my eyes closed, determined to fall asleep.

_Hermione wrapped her legs around Draco and dug her nails into his back, letting out a loud moan as he pushed into her roughly. She closed her eyes, pushing herself against him and moving her hips with him. "Oh... Oh, Draco...Yes! Oh, Dracooooooo!" Draco collapsed on the bed beside her, and Hermione couldn't stop the satisfied smile from crossing her face. Draco looked over at her and gave her one of his trademark smirks. He pushed himself up on his elbows and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She looked so beautiful..._

"_Hermione..." he whispered. She slowly opened her eyes, smiling blissfully when she saw him. "Hermione, I lov-"_

I opened my eyes slowly, a cool morning breeze greeting me. I frowned. No matter how matter mad I was at myself, this dream thing simply wouldn't do. I sighed, stretching quickly before I sat up and leaned my back against the head rest. The sheets lay at my waist and the morning air brushed against my skin. After that dream, the cool breeze felt heavenly. I threw the blanket off my legs and stood up, getting ready for the day.

I ran into the bathroom, frowning as I looked in the mirror. There was no way I was going to get my bra off with only one hand. It simply wasn't possible, and I didn't feel like using my wand to charm it off. That would've been... well, it would've been _weird_. I would just have to skip my bath that morning. I brushed my hair, leaving it down instead of pulling it back like I normally do before struggling to get a shirt over my head and sliding on my skirt. It occurred to me that it would've been a good idea to invite Ginny to spend the night with me so she could help me in the morning, but I managed alright. I made a mental note to stop by the infirmary and ask Madame Pomfrey when the cast could come off. I grimaced in the mirror before leaving the bathroom, smiling happily in greeting at the house elf who'd come in to make my bed and grab my laundry to be cleaned. I hated having the house elves do such things, but when I'd been assigned to the room I was, I had met the house elf who had my route. He'd been none too pleased when I told him that he didn't have to do anything and that I didn't mind doing it for myself, and after he fixed me with a dead, rather withering glare that would have terrified even you-know-who, I let him go about his business. Today was no different, and I decided not to interfere as he already seemed particularly unhappy – though I was beginning to believe that was probably just his nature.

I turned toward the door, grabbing my bag off my desk and making sure I had everything I needed before sliding on my shoes and socks and finally heading out. I rubbed sleep from my eyes to be sure that I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing, and then glared at Draco. "What are you doing here?" I asked in annoyance. He greeted me with a wide, toothy grin and an elegant bow.

"I'm here to escort you to breakfast." he said smoothly. I took him in quickly, noticing unhappily that once again he looked perfect. Every strand of hair was in place. His uniform had been pressed and was wrinkle free.

It should be against wizard law to look _that_ good.

"Aren't you afraid that the other Slytherins will see you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head nonchalantly, pale blond bangs falling into his eyes. I almost reached up and brushed them out of the way, unconsciously curious just what it would feel like to run my hands through his hair.

"I'm merely making sure a fellow student gets breakfast and doesn't strain herself and her injury." he said. Now this really was odd, even for Draco.

"Then aren't you afraid that a Gryffindor will hex you?" I asked. It was certainly a possibility. Everyone in Gryffindor had fantasized about such a thing at one time or another. She knew that Ronald had even come up with a rather complex plan as to how to do so and not get caught. It had ultimately backfired, however, and it took Madame Pomfrey quite a while to put his nose back on. Draco threw back his head and laughed, and I took that as a no. He held out his arm for me and I stared at it before choosing not to accept it and walking on ahead as I had done yesterday. Just as he'd done yesterday, he caught up to me and we walked evenly paced, pretending not to be glancing at each other from the corners of our eyes.

When we got to the great hall, I scanned the Gryffindor table for Ginny and took a seat beside her, unaware that Draco was indeed following me still and was taking a seat beside me. The great hall silenced when they saw this, and I pretended to be ignoring it, squirming under Ginny's gaze as she gave me a sly grin. I noticed Blaise Zabini watching us from the Slytherin table, a rather large grin also on his face as he shook his head at Draco. I looked at him beside me to see him glaring at Blaise and wondered that he didn't feel even the least bit out of place. I looked down the table to see Harry and Ron, and basically everyone else, giving Draco the deadliest glare that I'd ever seen in my life. Ginny appeared to be the only one remotely friendly toward him – and Ginny had been having a problem lately of being a little _too_ friendly with everyone. "So, Draco, how's the Quidditch practice going? The teams this year are going to be absolutely brutal with the try outs." Ginny asked casually. Draco 

buttered a piece of toast and even though he still looked rather menacing and cold (perhaps that was simply how his face had been formed), he answered her politely.

"Too true, but we've a promising group this year." Draco said, taking a bite of his toast. "And we've added an extra set of practices to be sure everyone's in top form." He grimaced. "Imagine players taking a break from Quidditch over the summer."

"Oh, I know. It's such a problem." Ginny agreed. I looked toward her, marveling at how the two of them were having a perfectly civilized conversation so easily. Slytherin and Gryffindor had been at each other's throats for the past... well... ever since Hogwarts had begun and they formed the separate houses. "Can you believe that Bulgaria lost to Stonewall in the games last year?" she asked. "Travesty to Quidditch, that was."

"Bloody tragic." Draco agreed.

"Puddlemere United's in the running this year." Charlie Colfer added in. "They're favored by the Ministry."

"But Puddlemere's no competition for the Chudley Cannons." Irene Scrafford said. "They've got Rodney Sellers as seeker this year." Draco frowned and looked at her.

"I thought he was with Appleby Arrows for another year." Draco said. Irene shook her head.

"He got out of his contract early and transferred." she answered.

"Well, with a record like his, s'ppose you could do just about anything you wanted." Charlie said.

"Bloody hell." Ginny said, sighing.

"I expect the Wimbourne Wasps to put up more of a fight and make a splash." Draco told him. Charlie and Irene nodded.

I eyed an omelet hungrily, scooping some of it onto my plate. I couldn't resist smiling at Draco for even the few moments of peace that had been brought to the table and between two houses that were known to be mortal enemies. He saw me and smirked, nodding his head to my plate. "Hells bells, 'Mione. Malfoy fancies you." Ginny whispered in my ear. I couldn't stop smiling all through breakfast, and I still didn't know why.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

By the time that breakfast was over, half the table had been brought into the debate over the year's Quidditch line up. I shook my head in amusement, pondering that a sport such as Quidditch could bring together even mortal enemies. I didn't even mind when Draco escorted to me through the halls to class, earning me more than a few glares from the other female students. Well, I thought, if anything this was going to confirm the rumors going around the school, but I didn't think I cared. I couldn't stop looking at him and smiling. "Keep at it, your face might freeze that way." Draco warned me. I glared at him and he laughed. "That's better."

"That was... that was pretty cool what you did." I said, not believing that I was actually saying what I was saying. He looked at me quizzically.

"What I did?" he asked.

"Yes. You... you just..." I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted to say. "You were..." He seemed to understand and was amused by my lack of ability to express myself.

"What's this?" he asked in surprise. "The great Hermione Granger, speechless?" I glared at him and sighed, stopping to look at him properly.

"No." I said, fixing him with a scowl. "I just mean... that today's breakfast was perhaps the most pleasant I've had in quite a while." I said stubbornly. He grinned.

"Well, gee, Granger. I like you." he said before heading in the direction of his own class. I stared after him curiously, wondering what had gotten into him and whether I had to worry about the drinking water.

Transfiguration was grueling as Professor McGonagle had chosen a particularly difficult group of spells for the students to master that year, but it was nothing compared to potions. Professor Snape didn't look at all pleased when I strolled into the room with Draco, nor did any of the Slytherins for that matter. I brushed it off; since when had I cared what they thought? Harry and Ron, on the other hand, I did care about, and they looked just about livid with me as the Slytherins did. The only people in the room who weren't glaring at me murderously were Charlie and Irene, who just looked bored but felt bad for me and gave me a friendly nod. I smiled at them appreciatively and took a seat, silently praying that the hour went by as quickly as possible.

Professor Snape was especially rude to the Gryffindor students that day, mostly to me. When I raised my hand, he would openly comment on how I was a know-it-all snob and to let the other students have a go at it for once. Depressively, I heard the Slytherins and even some of the Gryffindors chuckling quietly at that. I felt the slightest bit vindicated when he gave all of them detention for insubordination – though I'm sure that no one really understood on what grounds. Harry and Ron wouldn't even look at me. I sighed to myself. So the peace really had only been temporary.

When the hour was finally up, Harry and Ron rushed past me before I could say anything. I opened my mouth as they passed, and I was sure that they saw that I was trying to speak to them, but it didn't seem to matter. It wasn't fair, really. Draco was Head Boy, and I was actually _supposed_ to be on good terms with him. It seemed that prejudice really was alive and well in Hogwarts. Irene and Charlie, on the hand, were pleasant. They walked over to me as I gathered up my things. "Professor Snape really is a git." Irene said. "Though it was funny to see half the class in trouble."

"I'm sorry you guys." I said, feeling completely dejected. I slumped in my seat.

"You shouldn't worry about it." Charlie told me. "Snape's had it for us since first year. You know that." I sighed.

"I know, but this all happened because..." I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Irene rolled her eyes and sat down in the seat next to me.

"Listen, Hermione. We Gryffindors like to spout that the Slytherins are so terrible because they're all dark wizards and they hate muggles and muggle borne wizards and basically everyone who's not one of them." Irene said. "The truth is, we've gotten so used to hating them that sometimes we're no better."

"Give it time." Charlie suggested. "People'll come around eventually." I pondered that I hadn't had much contact with these two people before. They seemed like good, level headed individuals. Why hadn't the three of us become friends sooner? "Besides, that Malfoy's right about the Wimbourne Wasps. Right good head for Quidditch, that one. Reckon he'll probably go pro after school."

"I've got my eyes on a different position, actually." Draco said, setting down his books on a table and joining the conversation. Charlie looked at him, interested, as Irene smiled and winked at me.

"Oh? I didn't have you figured for management." Charlie said. "Thought you'd like to be in the rough of things." Draco laughed. It was really a pleasant laugh...

"Oh, I do. I do." he said, nodding in agreement. "I was thinking of something for here at Hogwarts, actually."

"Really?" Charlie asked. We were all paying attention to him now.

"I was thinking about an interhouse team." he said. Charlie and Irene both looked at him in surprise. Actually, I'm pretty sure I did too.

"An interhouse team?" I asked. "How do you plan to go about that?" He gave me a sly look.

"That's where you come in, Granger. As Head Girl, I am going to need your support." he told me. "And some fine Quidditch players who don't mind a Slytherin or two, of course." He looked pointedly at Irene and Charlie, who looked at him in complete shock.

"I'm _not_ a Quidditch player." Irene said frankly, laughing as she grabbed her things and left.

"Aye." Charlie agreed. "Neither am I. Sorry, Malfoy, but if you want the team to have a chance, you'll have to do better than that." Draco shook his head.

"My sense is with a little practice and direction, you'll be quite the beater." Draco told him. Charlie looked surprised and flattered before laughing it off and following Irene out of the classroom. I gazed at him quizzically.

"An interhouse team?" I asked. He shrugged. "Draco Malfoy, what exactly are you up to?" He smirked, and I suddenly realized that I'd never seen him quite so... happy, as he'd been since this whole mess started. Huh. Didn't that just figure?

"Are you ready for your nex-"

"Coming through!" Ginny screamed as she burst into the room. She paused for a moment to catch her breath before turning to Draco. "Sorry, Draco, need to borrow 'Mione for help with some extra credit work." she said quickly, grabbing my injured arm and pulling me out. I howled as I grabbed my bag just in time and threw it over my shoulder. She dragged me through the halls past people who were now shuffling into different classrooms. She pulled me past Harry and Ron and it crossed my mind to stop and put this whole thing straight, but she wouldn't let me.

"Ginny, where are we going? What extra credit work?" I asked. We stopped just in front of the long, spiraling staircase that I knew so well and remembered with less than fond memories. "Oh, no. No, no, no."

"Hermione, you said you wanted to know, and this is how you'll know!" Ginny exclaimed. I shook my head.

"No way am I going up to talk to that old coot." I said furiously. She glared at me.

"Hermione Granger, are you really going to let this opportunity pass you by, and _never know_ what happened between you and Draco?" she asked me sternly.

"Absolutely." I said easily. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm.

"Well, _I'm_ not." she said, pulling me up the stairs.

**A/N: sigh, everytime I type the title, I can't help but think how much I HATE it. LOL but I wasn't feeling terribly imaginative at the time and I really just wanted to post it.  
**

**Anyway, I know all of you are probably tired of excuses for not updating, but here goes. My sleeping schedule is so screwed up that I wake up around 6PM and go to bed at 9AM. This wouldn't be quite so bad if I weren't the only one who walks the dogs, and if everyone else in the house were just finishing their work for the day and coming to congregate in my room because I have a killer monitor and a DVD drive on my computer. So we spend most of the time vegging to a movie, and I get almost no computer time to myself to write. **

**Anyway, I just want to say thanks to everyone reading! I'm so happy to see so many people enjoying the fic, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy it! I know, it moves a bit quickly, but don't worry, I've got a lot in store for the future! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, well, I've actually had this done for a few days. I've just been procrastinating on posting it, which I'm really sorry for because I know all you wonderful readers have been readers! (I hope anyway... o.O )**

Chapter 05 / Dancing in the Sheets

The divination classroom looked and smelled about the same as I remembered it and as I watched Professor Trelawny gazing furiously at her crystal ball, I yawned and I leaned on my arm in sheer boredom and complete disbelief that she would ever see anything about myself or Draco. Her determination was clearly a sign that she'd fallen off her rocker since I'd seen her last, which was really no great surprise. After all, she was the divination teacher – lunacy was her specialty. She ignored my cynicism as she moved her hands over the ball. My nose itched from the smell of the incense and watching her, I couldn't help but wonder exactly _how_ she'd come to be where she was. Was this _really_ the only job she could get? Surely she didn't enjoy this insanity. I glanced over at Ginny, who looked thoroughly entranced by Professor Trelawny's actions, and sighed. This was going to be a _long_ day. "You know, I could always... take a remembrance potion or something." I suggested.

"SHHH!" the Professor and Ginny both hissed at me at the same time, a scowl on their faces. I scratched my head sheepishly, wondering exactly what she was going to do. She hadn't gotten a thing right back when I actually took her class. How was she supposed to figure out what had happened that night?

I groaned as I listened to Professor Trelawny begin to hum, moving her hands around the crystal ball in a circular motion. I'd seen the action many times in the movies when I was younger, but I'd always thought it was a bad joke. It was around the time that her eyes rolled back in her head that I stood up to head for the door.

And that was when I heard it. "Draco Malfoy, you are _too_ good at this!" It was weird to hear my voice when it wasn't coming from me. It was even stranger to see myself in a high definition crystal ball, lying on my back with my skirt pulled up over Draco's head. My jaw dropped and I was pretty sure everything in the room stood still. Except for Ginny, that is, who was looking between giggling crystal ball me and real life me. Personally, I didn't see the resemblance.

I reluctantly inched my way back to the table and sat back down, my eyes glued to the glass in front of me as I watched my hips arch and my hands shove Draco's face into the place where my panties were _supposed_ to be. "Ugh... Ooh... Draco... oh, yes..."

"How does he do that with his tongue?" Ginny asked suddenly. Professor Trelawny gave her a thoughtful look as she tried to work out the particulars. I couldn't take it anymore and hid my face behind my hands. "'Mione, you know you should really shave down there."

"Ginny!" I scolded behind my hands.

"Oh, yes. Sorry."

"Oh, yes. Oooooh..." Apparently I hadn't suffered enough indignities in the past forty eight hours. I had to sit in the divination classroom while my best friend and least favorite teacher were taking notes on Draco's techniques and I was screaming up a storm. "Oh, fuck, Draco, YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!" I peaked through my fingers covering my eyes and watched as I fell and Draco pulled his face away, sending a rather evil smirk in my direction.

He climbed up the bed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and leaving me completely exposed. "You make a lot of noise, Pet." He slid his hands under my shirt and squeezed my breasts generously, earning a squeal. "I like it!" I laughed and pulled his hands away, shoving him back and climbing on top of him. He went to move, but I grabbed him hands and pulled them above his head, grabbing the scarf I'd worn in my hair that day and tying his hands to the headboard. I stared in horror as I pulled my shirt up over my head and glared down at him with a rather superior expression. Draco wasn't in the least bit put off - in fact, he looked rather excited. Oh, tell me I didn't just think that!

"Draco Malfoy, you've been a _bad_ boy." I told him. He grinned up at me.

"What are you going to do?" he asked me huskily. His eyes followed me as I reached down and unbuttoned his pants, smirking at the bulge. I slid them down his legs and slid my hands inside his boxers. I closed my eyes again when they finally came off and I straddled his waist. I hopelessly listened to the sounds of the bed creaking and Draco and I moaning and grunting. I shifted in my seat, growing more and more uncomfortable the longer I listened. I looked up at Professor Trelawny when I heard the sound of crumpled paper and found her fanning herself, her face flushed with color. Ginny glanced away for a moment and directed a question at the Professor as I hid my face again.

"Oh, yes! Draco, you fowl creature! Fuck me harder! Oh, deeper! OOOH!"

"Can I get a copy of this?" she asked. I glared over the table at her then looked at the ball again, watching myself bounce up and down on top of Draco. This wasn't right. I'd never seen Draco look quite as happy as he did then, watching my breasts bob up and down. It was terrible. It couldn't possibly get any worse, I thought.

And then I heard the goat.

I practically screamed right then as I watched in complete terror. "Wicked." Ginny said, completely entranced.

"Indeed." Professor Trelawny agreed. That was the final straw. I shoved my chair back as I stood up, ignoring when it clacked and fell to its side on the floor, and marched out of the classroom and down the stairs, not looking back for a second. I ran as quickly as I could down the halls, passing student after student.

I didn't know where I found myself, but I began to pace back and forth, screaming at myself. "It's a lie. It's a lie! It wasn't me!"

"Umm..." I stopped and glared at a wandering first year.

"What the hell do you want?" I screamed. "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY??" The first year stared at me for a long moment before his eyes started to tear up. He ran away quickly, sobbing loudly. I growled at the other students who'd stopped to stare at me. "What? Haven't you any of you ever seen A CRAZY PERSON BEFORE??" I turned around and charged in the other direction, groups of students parting in the halls as I ran past them.

I knew exactly where I was going. I turned a corner and ran up a short set of steps, scowling as I met with a set of tall double doors. I rammed them with my shoulder, yelling and wincing when it didn't open and I heard a loud _crack_ from my shoulder. I growled and pulled out my wand, muttering a charm. The doors burst open and everyone in the room jumped as I thumped into the full classroom. I ran right up to Draco Malfoy and pointed my wand in his face. "YOU." I growled.

"Draco, what did you do to the little tart now?" Blaise asked.

"SHUT IT, BLAISE." I yelled. "YOU." I turned to Draco.

"What?" he asked.

"YOU."

"What?"

"GOAT!" I screamed. His brows furrowed in confusion. What? Was I speaking German?

"What?" he asked me again. I growled.

"YOU. GOAT. YOU!! SCARF! YOU!!" He gazed at me, completely lost, before realization flashed across his face.

"Oh, right. The goat." he acknowledged calmly. Blaise burst into laughter, watching the scene.

"Draco, I thought you weren't going to do that anymore." Blaise scolded him happily. Draco shrugged.

"I wasn't, but she insisted." Draco defended. I tried to keep from strangling him, and believe me, it wasn't easy.

"You're lying!" I yelled at him. He looked offended at the accusation.

"I am not!" he snapped.

"The goat, Draco!" I yelled again. His eyebrows rose. "Explain the goat!" I heard Blaise' annoying laughter again.

"You mean she doesn't know?" Blaise asked. Draco shot him an angry look in warning.

"Doesn't know what?" I asked.

"Blaise..." Draco growled.

"Doesn't know what?" I asked again. Blaise was laughing so hard, he was crying. "Tell me Blaise Zabini, or I'll hex your testicles to the size of raisins!" He seemed a little worried by this and, ignoring Draco, stood up and walked over to me, whispering in my ear. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened as I stared ahead in sheer horror. "I DID WHAT?" Draco winced. Blaise looked between us, grinning maliciously.

"You enjoy this too much." Draco commented to Blaise dryly. I turned to him, my face white as a sheet, but running quickly from the room, ignoring the cat calls and woops of laughter from the other students.

I wound my way through the halls, trying to ignore the whispers from the other students as I went. I got lost a couple times, something that had never happened to me before. I turned the wrong corner and found myself in the same place I'd started in, alone and confused. I fell to the floor, choking back tears. It was growing hard to breathe and I pulled my knees to my chest, wincing at the limited movement in my arm. I closed my arms and the tears fall, sobbing silently until everything went dark.

_"Draco..." The words escaped Hermione's lips barely above a whisper. She looked down at where he'd fallen asleep, head resting in the gap between her breasts. She ran her hands through his hair, smiling at how soft it felt. She watched his back rise and fall as he breathed, her eyes straying to his perfectly developed muscles. He looked so soft, so fragile in his sleep._

I woke up in my room, not sure how I'd gotten there. My eyes felt impossibly sore from crying and my shoulder ached. I sighed. The silence in the room was almost deafening. I looked at my watch on the table beside me and scowled. I'd missed another day of class. Not to mention I was still wearing that awful cast and I had a bad feeling about my shoulder. Madame Pomfrey and I were going to be best friends by the time this whole thing was through. I rubbed my head and sat up, pulling myself back as best I could and leaning gratefully against the head rest.

The past few days were spinning around and around in my head like a hallucination from some kind of drug. I wished that was all it was. I hated that I'd ended up here. This was never a part of my plan. I was supposed to be the best Head Girl in the history of Hogwarts. I was supposed to study hard and pass all my exams with flying colors. I was supposed to graduate and go to work directly at the ministry. I was going to change things in the wizarding world. People would be moved by my example. Instead, I was neck deep in the middle of some stupid drama with my greatest enemy who also happened to be Head Boy and a really good kisser and who I couldn't stop thinking about. To make matters worse, he wouldn't stop being nice to me. Damn Draco Malfoy for not being a prick!

I looked over at my desk, at the pages and quills and books lying about, and I knew what I had to do. I didn't want to do it. I _really_ didn't want to do it. But I had to do it, because it was the right thing and because in the end, it had to be done. I would bring this silly little drama to its head and end it so I could get on with my life!

I threw my blankets off me and walked over to the desk, sitting down in my chair. I grabbed a quill and a fresh sheet of parchment, tentatively dipping the quill in my ink. I stared at my parchment for a long moment, thinking over what to say. This certainly wasn't going to be the easiest thing I'd ever done. I wasn't sure how long I'd been staring, trying to decide how to start, when I finally put quill to parchment. The scratching sound the quill made as I wrote everything down filled the air, seeming almost to echo off the walls like a warning of something ominous to come. I ignored it, trying to focus solely on my task.

Eventually, I finished, though it took a while. It was just past dinner by the time I finished, and I abandoned my quill by the open ink bottle, folding the note and sealing it closed with some melted candle wax. I sighed and stood up, making a mental note to stop at the hospital wing on my way back. I walked toward the portrait hole and peaked outside, looking up and down the halls. Was I really ready to this after what had happened earlier? Better yet, did I have a choice either way?

My foot touched the floor like I was dipping a toe in the water to see if it was cold. Maybe I was just checking to be sure that the ground was really there and that I wasn't really about to fall into a trap. I almost wished that I was – at least, I would probably wake up and find out that this was all just a bad dream. I just hoped that I didn't run into Professor Trelawny.

I stepped outside and closed the portrait hole, nodding politely to the old man on the front before making my way down the halls. I hadn't gone this way much. I hadn't really had a reason to. The year had only begun and I'd gotten my own room with the position of Head Girl. Plus my parents weren't big on owls. Oh, they didn't mind getting my letters to be sure, but there was also the fact that going up to the owlery was never my idea of a good time. I caught Goyle and Parkinson snogging up there once and I was struggling to hold my lunch for the rest of the night. I frowned, turning another corner and hoping I was going the right way, until at last I saw the long, spiraling staircase that headed up to the tower. I froze, seeing Charlie in the doorway heading down the steps. He caught sight of me. "'Ello Hermione. Didn't see you at lunch."

"Oh, um... I got caught up with something." I told him. It wasn't a total lie. I did get caught up with _something_. I just didn't say what. He nodded in understanding.

"Draco was worried." he said. "But he picked up a copy of your homework assignments from the teachers for you." Homework. Great. Just what I needed! Something to take my mind off of Dra- wait... Draco picked up my homework? This plan could prove a little counterproductive.

"Okay, I'll catch up with him." I said. He walked past me and headed down the stairs. It took me a minute to work up the courage, but I turned around quickly and stopped him. "Uh, Charlie!" He stopped and looked up at me. "Um... about earlier..." He looked at me rather sheepishly and I felt my stomach turn. "People are talking, aren't they?" He let out a laugh.

"Oh, yeah." he said. "They're talking alright." I frowned.

"Is it really bad?" I asked. It was a bad position to put him in, I knew. I knew, by experience, that there was always bound to be some bad gossip, and that lately I'd probably attracted more than most. Still... He thought for a moment and took a deep breath, walking up a few steps so that he and I were level.

"'Mione, you shouldn't be bothered by what people think or say." he told me. "You're always going to hear bad things if you're always looking to hear them. Besides, friends will never gossip about friends." He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder and I winced, earning me a worried look. "Go to the hospital wing after you're done here." he told me. I smiled and nodded appreciatively, watching him turn and leave. I gazed at where he'd been for a moment before looking up the stairs, grabbing the railing and scaling the last of the steps to the tower.

When I reached it, I found a friendly owl from the school and attached the letter, telling the owl to the deliver it as quickly as possible. It gave me an annoyed look as if to say 'it will get there when it gets there' and took off at a leisurely pace. I stared after it, hoping that things would turn out okay, and knowing that they probably wouldn't.

It took me a lot longer to get down the stairs than it'd taken me to get up then. There was another reason why I never came to owlery. I had this little thing about heights – they completely terrify me. I was gripping the railing with all my strength, even straining my sore shoulder to hang on, and I took step by step, careful not to slip. I'd had vertigo since I was a child, which is why when I got to Hogwarts I'd only attended the bare minimum of classes for using a broomstick. After I'd gotten the basics down, I'd never used one again. I almost died when I'd been on the hippogriff with Harry. It was late when I made it to the bottom, cursing the day that towering castles were considered fashionable and wondering why Dumbledore hadn't moved the school to a better location.

I tried to ignore the students' whispers as I passed them in the halls, but even though I couldn't make them out, I got the general gist of them and had to keep reminding myself to breathe. I just had to make it to the hospital wing, and then I could sleep it all off. Tomorrow morning, things would be better. Well, at least a little better. That didn't mean that every student in Hogwarts didn't take their time walking past me, saying things just loud enough for me to hear like 'slut' or 'take a ride on _my_ broomstick'. I decided that my first _and_ second impressions were wrong. Sure, Hogwarts students were an unobservant lot, but they were also insolent, uninspired, callous, vicious, apes, most of whom deserved to end up in Filch's care back before certain forms of punishment had been banned from Hogwarts. I understood his look at the issue now, and I added it to my mental list of things I was going to change once I worked at the ministry.

I stopped when I passed by the Gryffindor common room, staring at the portrait longingly. If only I'd had the courage to step inside. They were my friends. Surely it'd be different in there. But the day when the rumors started had been chaotic. I'd been cornered and had to be rescued by Harry and Ron, and I wasn't sure they were at all in the mood to be doing any rescuing. I sighed, the aching in my shoulder reminding me of where I was going and continued on.

The hospital wing was quiet when I got there, which wasn't really surprising. There was one person there who had a cough and was getting some medicine from Madame Pomfrey, but other than that it was empty. People came and went from the hospital wing quickly. It was a wonder what magic could that modern muggle medicine couldn't. I still had trouble believing it sometimes. Someone with a broken bone could be healed in a single day. There were fewer unplanned pregnancies, cancer was almost nonexistent. Of course, there were also hexes, curses, and various poisons and potions to deal with. Not to mention when spells backfired... that was when things really started to get messy, but Madame Pomfrey didn't handle the really severe cases, they were sent to St. Mungo's.

I took a seat on one of the beds and waited for Madame Pomfrey to find me. She came to see me a few minutes later, a disapproving look on her face. I cringed. "What can I do for you Miss Granger?" she asked me rather tersely.

"Um... I was hoping I could get this cast off?" I asked. She glanced down at it for a moment and sighed. I almost thought that she was considering leaving it on just to torture me, but she pulled out her wand and slid it off my arm easily. She turned to leave. "Uh, there is one other thing." She stopped and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" she asked. I couldn't help but notice how unhappy she looked when she said my name. I wondered what could possibly have made her so unfriendly. She didn't have a reason to be cold to me... did she?

"I banged my shoulder earlier today, and I think I did something serious." I told her. She reached over and felt it, growing a little more sympathetic towards me when she saw me wince. She frowned and went to get something. I stare hopelessly at the floor, waiting for her to return. She came back with a bottle of something and a few bandages.

"I think you've fractured the bone." she told me. "It'll be fine, but we should bandage it up. I'm surprised you managed to endure the pain this long." I glanced at her curiously. "Most students would've come running to me the second it happened." she explained. I nodded and undid my shirt, sliding it down my arm. She wrapped the bandage oddly, mostly just to give my shoulder a little extra support. I did my shirt back up and scowled at the bottle she'd brought with her. "This'll help with the pain. It's just the same thing I gave you before." I sighed.

"Can I take it back in my room?" I asked. She nodded and I slid off the bed, getting ready to leave.

"Miss Granger?" I glanced at Madame Pomfrey's worried face. "Do try to be smart and keep out of trouble." Now what did that mean? Was it because this was my second visit in a week? I smiled and nodded and left, confused and worried.

I didn't think about stopping at the Gryffindor common room this time, I just headed straight to my room, my head echoing with the cruel jabs from classmates that I hadn't even wronged over the years. Well, I supposed that the first year from this morning probably had a right to say a thing or two, although he probably wouldn't. I opened the portrait to my room and fell inside, collapsing on my bed as it closed. I was beyond happy to have the cast gone and to have full use of my hand again, though movement of my shoulder was now somewhat restricted. I sat up and drank the bottle she gave me in small sips, letting the drowsiness wash over in small waves.

Madame Pomfrey's behavior was still on my mind. Teachers and staff at Hogwarts suddenly acting strangely was never really a good sign. Professor Lupin missing classes back in third year meant that he was hidden away in the shrieking shack transformed into a werewolf. I wondered what could've gotten into Madame Pomfrey. I'd been handling all of my Head duties well, I hadn't been shirking my homework – until this week, that is – I was probably the responsible student at Hogwarts. Everyone knew that. That was why I got named Head Girl. The only thing that'd happened lately was this whole Draco thing and there was no way that sh- oh, right. I'd gone to Professor Trelawny and there were rumors all over school. Not to mention the fact that he'd been the one to escort me to the hospital wing to get my wrist patched up. I slumped in the bed and sighed, closing my eyes. This was all getting far too complicated...

"_You worry too much, Granger." Draco said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Hermione looked at him curiously, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. _

"_Are you saying this isn't all my fault?" Hermione asked in a whine. Draco threw back his head and laughed, surprising her. "What's so funny?" He shook his head, needing a few minutes to recover. _

"_The idea that you could do __**anything**__ wrong." Draco replied once he got himself under control. Hermione smiled slowly taking another sip of her drink and getting up and moving around the table to sit next to him. He gazed at her curiously as he climbed up on her seat a little, moving her face in very close to his. "What are you doing?" he asked her suddenly. She giggled and placed a finger to his lips lightly._

"_Shhhhhhhh." Hermione leaned over and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent, before kissing him. _

Morning came too quickly for my liking and I found myself reluctantly facing the day with bed head that was twice as bad as it normally was, in my wrinkled clothes, and somehow completely relaxed despite all of the chaos. I had to admit, as much grief as Draco was giving me, the last night's dream had been soft and warm and just what I needed to face the day – not that I'd ever tell him that. I slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom, shrugging out of my skirt and leaving it on the floor as I walked. I unbuttoned my shirt and threw it with my skirt before turning on the tub faucet and letting the water heat up until my mirror grew foggy from steam. I discarded my underwear by the door and stood, staring at the tub for a long moment. I didn't know how I was going to manage getting a bath with my shoulder bandaged, but I'd already skipped one bath that week and I could feel my muscles growing tense with anticipation of soaking in the near scalding bathwater. I was going to bath, dammit!

I stuck one toe in gingerly, getting used to the heat for a moment, before stepping in completely and sinking into the tub. I could practically feel the tension in my muscles begin to melt away as I simply sat there. I rubbed my sore neck and looked at the ceiling in thought. My letter should have arrived by now. Today I would be getting a response. Today I was going to talk to Draco and set things straight. Today, I was going to patch things up with Harry and Ron, and we'd all be good friends again. Today, everything was going to change and things would start to get better.

I smiled. My plan was set. I was getting my second wind and this time I was determined that things would be okay. I continued to soak for a while until I realized that if I really did want to patch things up with Harry and Ron, I'd best catch them at breakfast. I scowled at having to get out of the tub so quickly and stood up, grabbing a towel to dry myself off. I wrapped it around myself and walked back into my room, grabbing a fresh pair of clothes from my trunk. I dressed quickly and pulled my wet hair back, hoping that it could remain tame in a low ponytail for at least the duration of my classes. After that, I slid on my shoes and grabbed my bag and left through the portrait hole.

I stood, looking around for a moment. I frowned, wondering why Draco wasn't there. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't growing attached to him or anything, and I hadn't been looking forward to him walking me to class. No, of course I couldn't be. I was about to tell him that we couldn't see each other anymore. Wait... not that we'd been seeing each other in the first place. I groaned and put a hand to my head as I walked, ignoring the people I passed until I got into the Great Hall. Charlie spied me immediately and ran up to me with an excited look on his face. "Did you hear?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"Rodney Sellers is coming to Hogwarts!" Charlie announced. I laughed. He looked Ginny when I admitted that I'd slept with Draco.

"Who?" I asked, still laughing. I laughed even harder when Charlie fixed me with a glare.

"Rodney Sellers. He's the seeker for the Chudley Cannons!" Charlie told me. I stared at him with a rather blank look. "Quidditch! We were talking about it yesterday!" Oh! Right!

"Wow, that's so cool!" I said happily. He watched me for a moment.

"You don't care, do you?"

"Nope." I told him, a big smile on my face. He looked angry at me for a moment before laughing and going off to tell more people. I watched him go a minute, laughing and shaking my head. I turned around and spotted Harry and Ron before heading over to them, praying that I looked confident and cool instead of completely anxious. "Hello Harry, Ron." Harry looked up at me and nodded with a friendly but tentative look on his face. Well, that was an improvement from yesterday. Ronald, on the other hand, seemed to have digressed. He refused to acknowledge my presence. I took a seat and grabbed a piece of toast sitting in front of his face. "Ron, did you hear about Rodney Sellers?"

"Harry let's go." Ron muttered quietly, getting up to leave.

"So you're not even going to talk to me?" I asked. "You're going to pretend that I'm not here? That I don't exist?"

"You don't exist!" Ron yelled. I jumped, scowling.

"What do you mean _I don't exist_?" I asked.

"Not the 'Mione we knew! The 'Mione we knew wouldn't have been caught dead with the likes of Draco Malfoy!" Ron yelled. By now we were beginning to attract the attention of the entire hall. I stood up and yelled right back at him.

"For goodness sakes, he's Head Boy!" I screamed. "We're supposed to be on good terms!"

"Oh, is that what you call shagging him in Hogsmeade?!" Ron growled. "And the bit with the goat?!" All of the color drained from my face. "So it's true then?" he asked. "You and the Ferret?"

"Come off it Ron!"

"_You_ come off it!" Ron yelled. He turned to leave, but I wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Look, I'm not the one shagging everything that moves!" I yelled at him. "Or hasn't Pavarti noticed your extracurricular activities?" His face turned a red to rival that of his hair as he glared at me. I took a deep breath. This wasn't going at all the way I'd planned.

"Maybe I fool around a bit, but at least I'm not fucking a death eater!" Ron retorted. We didn't notice until it'd neared the Gryffindor table that the Slytherins hadn't taken too kindly to Ron's remark about death eaters. In fact, they'd had a rather adverse reaction, meaning they were charging over to give Ronald a good old fashion pounding, sans magic. They'd probably have done a good job of it too, had Dumbledore's voice not suddenly boomed through the Great Hall. Everyone separated and we all stood glaring at each other. I didn't think I'd ever seen so much hate in Ron's eyes before, yet there it was for all the world to see.

That was when I knew for certain, in that one moment, that nothing between the three of us or at Hogwarts would ever be the same again.

**A/N: I'm not sure. Does this warrant a higher rating now? I've been thinking since the beginning that the rating would probably end up at M because of what's to happen in later chapters... tell me what you think! **

**Oh, and if you like my fanfiction, keep an eye out for me at fictionpress! You can find me under the same username, neome89!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 06 / Dancing in the Sheets**

I sat, nervously twiddling my thumbs in Dumbledore's office while Fawkes eyed me over his breakfast. Never in my life had I gotten into trouble, and most _especially_ never had I found myself being lectured and scolded by a teacher, let alone the Head Master of the most famous wizarding school in the history of magic. Sitting and waiting for Dumbledore was possibly the most nerve-racking experience of my life - at that point in my life, anyway. With the way my luck had been running, it was bound to get much, much worse. It wouldn't have been quite so bad, however, if Dumbledore hadn't kept me waiting an hour and a half. I didn't blame him though; calming a riot of angry Slytherins would understandably take some time and effort.

After a while, I began to wonder whether he was really coming at all and had forgotten about me; could Ginny's observations about the man be right? I shook my head, inwardly scolding myself for thinking such a terrible thought. He didn't keep me waiting forever, but he certainly took his time and I was relieved when he finally walked into his office and stiffly sat down in the chair behind his desk. He let out a long sigh of relief and I couldn't help the wave of guilt that ran through me. This was all my fault, all because I made some terribly stupid mistake and slept with the wrong guy, and now the school houses were pitted against each other and rioting even more than usual. This wasn't at all how my final year in Hogwarts was supposed to happen. I had a plan, dammit! How had everything gone so horribly, horribly wrong?

Dumbledore seemed to sense my nervousness at what was happening and finally leaned forward in his chair. "Miss Granger, this is certainly the last place I ever expected to see you."

"Professor Dumbledore, I can explain! It was a mistake, a stupid mistake. I didn't mean to sleep with Malfoy, honest. It wasn't even that good!" Oh, shit, 'Mione. You can't just keep your mouth shut, can you?

"Miss Granger-"

"Please, Professor, please don't expel me! I promise to follow the rules and be a good Head Girl. I won't even see Draco anymore! I'll pretend he doesn't exist! I-"

"Miss Gr-"

"I was born for this position. I have a plan, and my plan is ignore Draco!" It took me a few minutes to catch my breath after I'd just ranted insanely at the one person whose opinion mattered the most at that particular moment. Dumbledore didn't _seem_ angry or annoyed at my insane outburst. If the circumstances had been different, the two of us completely different person looking on at the scene, I supposed it would actually be quite amusing. Nevertheless, Professor Dumbledore did not look amused. Instead, he looked…. patient.

"Are you quite finished, Miss Granger?" he asked gently. I sighed and looked at the wall.

"Yes." I mumbled sadly. He nodded.

"Good. Then let me first say that you are not expelled." I heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "In fact, you are not in trouble at all." Whaaaa? I stared at him quizzically.

"Not in trouble at all?" I asked. "But I slept with Draco Malfoy. I started a riot in the middle of the great hall. I'm underage and I drank alcohol." _Lots_ of alcohol.

"Yes, you did." Professor Dumbledore agreed with a slight tilt of his head. I watched his glasses slide ever so slightly down his nose.

"You're not mad that the entire school is being torn apart over what I did?" I asked in disbelief. He sighed and leaned back in his chair and I unconsciously winced at the creaking sound of old wood.

"Certainly you don't think you're the first Gryffindor to have relations with a Slytherin?" he asked. I frowned. I hadn't really thought about that.

"Well, no. I suppose not." I admitted. I watched him carefully for a long moment. "Then you're not mad about this whole… Malfoy…. thing?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Not at all." he said with a small twinkle in his eye. "In fact, I think it's rather good for student relations." I gaped at him.

"Half the school just tried to kill each other!" I exclaimed. To my surprise he laughed. He laughed hard enough that he grew pink in the cheeks and had to lean back in his chair, gripping his chest. I watched him in wonder as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"It was quite funny, wasn't it?" he asked. I'm positive that my face began to twitch in disbelief. Dumbledore really had gone insane. He sighed. "Ms. Granger, how much do you know about the Malfoys'?"

"They're evil beyond recognition." I answered automatically. His eyebrows shot up as he gazed at me and I couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. "I mean, uh..."

"The Malfoys' have been in Slytherin for generations." he said. "As have most of the Mr. Malfoy's classmates." I frowned.

"I don't understand." I said. He let out a long, exhausted sigh and I felt another wave of guilt wash over me.

"No one wants to be evil Ms. Granger, but after years of death and pain, the soul gets twisted. So many lost souls; souls who don't have a chance." he said. He leaned forward and looked at me critically. "It seems that, perhaps, Mr. Malfoy is taking a chance on you." He grabbed a lemon drop from a bowl on his desk. "Lemon drop?" I laughed and shook my head. "Very well, Ms. Granger. You can go." I stood up reluctantly and walked towards the door, my legs impossibly stiff from being held taut for so long. "Oh, and Miss Granger?"

"Hmmm?" I stopped and looked back at him. He smiled at me, his eyes twinkling.

"The next time that you and Mr. Malfoy wish to... have relations..." he said, choosing his words carefully. I felt my neck grow hot and my cheeks burn. "Try to make a little less noise."

I left the headmaster's office numbly, his words swirling about in my head. _No one wants to be evil. Perhaps Mr. Malfoy is taking a chance on you._ Oh, and then there was _Try to make a little less noise._ I shook my head. The old man really had lost his mind. In any case, now that I knew I wasn't in trouble, I had more important things to worry about.

For one thing, half the school just tried to kill each other. _That_ certainly wasn't going to make my job any easier. Then there was the fact that Draco was nowhere to be seen. Wait, that wasn't important. I shook her head, clearing Draco from my thoughts. No, I had classes, patrols, possible lynching, and Viktor to think about. Those things were important.

As I made my way down the hall to the staircases, passing an occasional student who would glare at me ruthlessly as though I were somehow worse than Voldemort, my stomach began to turn on itself. Every step I took back towards classes and classmates just made my palms more sweaty and my heart beat faster. I couldn't help being anxious. By now, news of, well, everything would have spread. Rumors would be started. The truth would be distorted and lost among a thousand lies. I shook my head in disgust. I _hated_ gossip.

I wondered what the rumors would say for a long moment. What lie would be told about me? Then, I thought, should I really, _really_ care? They were only rumors, I reasoned. They meant nothing in the end. They didn't change who I was. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe... maybe I could learn, I could teach myself not to let it bother me.

...certainly, it was what Draco had done all these years... wasn't it?

"Hermione!" I flinched. I knew that squeal. I looked over to see Ginny running towards me. "'Mione! 'Mione! 'Mione!" she was squealing, a big smile on her face. She tackled me and knocked me to the ground. "You should have seen it! It was bloody brilliant! There were hexes everywhere! People hitting each other! Those Slytherins are damned fine duelers!" she yelled. She rolled over and laughed. "Maybe I'll follow you and bag me one of them." I groaned.

"Ginny, I didn't mean to." I whined. I sighed and covered my face in my hands. "Is Ronald really mad at me?" She fell silent and I knew the answer. She put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, though Ginny had brought me anything but comfort lately.

"Don't worry about that great prat." she said. "He doesn't take to change well. He'll get over it." I glanced at her and for the first time in the past few days, I appreciated her being my friend. "Once he realizes that being a total arse won't get him laid." Then again, maybe Ginny was a force unto herself that completely eluded classification of any kind. How had I never noticed that before? She grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "Come on, 'Mione. The Head Girl can't be late for class."

"Can you believe Rodney Sellers is coming to Hogwarts?" she asked, holding my arm as she walked with me to my next class. I frowned.

"Who?" I asked. She scowled at me.

"He's with the Chudley Cannons, remember?" she asked. "Honestly, 'Mione, it's not the first time you've heard this. You really need to keep up with current events."

"Oh." Ginny brushed some of her long red hair over her shoulder as she made her hips sway for some Hufflepuff boys as we passed. It was strange to see them almost angry with me and ogling Ginny at the same time.

"Anyway, he's coming the day after tomorrow, so _everybody_ is throwing a party for him. I don't how that boy is going to survive the weekend." Is it wrong that I tuned Ginny out for most of the walk? "So I want to know what you think."

"Huh?" Ginny scowled at me. Obviously, I had missed something important. Damn. "I'm sorry, Gin. I really am."

"I just told you something in confidence and you didn't even hear me." she whined. I opened my mouth to apologize again, but she beat me to it. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Come here, I have to tell you somewhere _quiet_." She directed me to a different hall and we turned around and started walking in a completely different direction. I frowned.

"Uh, Gin, where are we going?" I asked. She gave a Cheshire grin and I began to grow worried.

"You remember a few days ago, when I told you about Harry and I and how I was so bloody frustrated that we hadn't done anything yet?" she asked, directing me around another corner. My head started to hurt – this wasn't going to end well, was it?

"Yes." I said tentatively. I froze mid-step and stared at her with my jaw dropped. "Wait, you mean..." I couldn't even fathom it. I couldn't even say the words. "You mean... you and Harry?" She gave me possibly the widest smile I had ever seen on anyone. "W... wow." She laughed.

"And there's more!" she squealed. More? In the name of Merlin, please don't be- "HE'S SO BLASTED **BAD** AT IT!" she screamed. A couple of students who were passing by us stopped and glared at her for a moment before walking on at Ginny's equally, if not more, menacing glare. She turned back to me. "It was terrible. It was the worst sex I've ever had. It's like he didn't even have a penis." Woah. Now _that's_ a bad review. I almost felt bad for Harry. I couldn't even imagine what kind of expectations he'd had to live up to. I ignored the fact that actually... I probably could. _Draco_... "Or maybe I didn't have a vagina." she said with a sigh as she fell against a wall.

"That... bad... huh?" What exactly are you supposed to say to someone in that situation? I'm sorry your partner is a terrible lover? She sighed and walked over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me along.

"I'm not done yet." she said. I looked at her with worry.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She scowled.

"Just follow me." she said, pulling me towards a spiral staircase. It was then that I realized exactly where we were going. It was the same place that Ginny had taken me not so long ago, to find out about my misadventure with Draco Malfoy. I groaned as she tried to drag me up the stairs. I was _not_ in the mood to pay a visit to Professor Trelawny.

"Gin..." I whined. She ignored me and gave my arm another yank, and I reluctantly gave in to her wishes, following up the staircase, my stomach growing more and more knotted with every step I took. It wasn't that I didn't _like_ Professor Trelawny, it was just... the last time I was there, she had seen me in a rather compromising position with a classmate – teachers aren't supposed to condone, right? My head was starting to spin from everything that was happening.

We stumbled into the room to find Professor Trelawny sitting at her crystal ball and soaking in the incense, and I wondered briefly whether she had ever actually left at all and if she actually lived in that seat, gazing at peoples lives all day long. The thought sent shivers down my spine. Professor Trelawny's unusually grave expression seemed to brighten when she saw us, though I couldn't tell if she was actually happy, or perhaps trying to hide something else. Whatever the case, she didn't seem her normal self. I put the thought aside as Ginny ran forward and claimed a chair. She glared back at me and I tentatively moved forward, sitting down next to Ginny. She turned to Professor Trelawny brightly. "Okay, Professor, we're ready."

"Uh, Ginny... what are we doing here?" She gave me a stern look from the corner of her eye. I groaned as I watched Professor Trelawny begin what was apparently her routine. She waved some of the incense into her face and took a few long, deep breathes as she made low humming sounds. I glanced at Ginny, who looked thoroughly entranced by her motions. It was the second time I'd seen it and I still wasn't impressed by it in the least.

We watched as the ball began to grow hazy, clouds of fogs swashing back and forth. I tried to keep down the contents of my stomach warily as the incense grew particularly thick. And then it happened, just like before; an image slowly beginning to form. On my long list of things that I never expected or wanted to see in my lifetime, watching one of my best friends hump one of my other best friends ranked somewhere near the bottom of the list – until that moment. When I could finally make out Ginny's fiery red hair, it moved directly to top of the list. I made a quick mental note to go back and revise it later.

"Oh, Harry." Crystal Ball Ginny purred. I looked away quickly, scratching my head in embarrassment. This was _so_ wrong.

"Umm... Ginny?" I squeaked out. "What exactly _are_ we doing here?" Ginny frowned at me.

"Honestly, Hermione, stop being so shy." she scolded me. "You've slept with a Slytherin sex god! Stop scratching your head and help me critique him!" she snapped, grabbing my arm and pulling my chair closer. I'm sorry, what was that? Did you just say... critique?

"_I beg your pardon?_" I asked her, my disbelief clearly evident in my voice. I covered my eyes with my hand.

"Do you find it more pleasurable when you're in control, or do you prefer Draco on top?" Ginny asked, tilting her head to get a better view of her crystal ball self. "Because I think my technique is excellent. Perfect balance, poise, and I'm in the best position to ensure maximum pleasure for the both of us." Ginny explained. She growled and jabbed my arm. "Hermione!" She knocked my hand away from my eyes and I reluctantly looked at the crystal ball. "But look at Harry! He can't keep rhythm, he can't move right, and he's just so blasted... TINY!" Ginny screamed. I jumped as she slammed her hands down on the table. _Yikes._

"Gin, maybe you should calm down." I suggested. She growled at me.

"Maybe I should learn an enlargement charm." Ginny murmured. "Do you think Harry would go for an enlargement charm?" she asked me. _Enlargment charm?_

"They make those?" I gaped. She stood up and started to pace, ignoring the exaggerated 'oooohs' and 'ahhhhhhs' coming from Professor Trelawny's table.

"Maybe!" Ginny exclaimed suddenly. "Maybe he could talk to Draco!" Ginny said. She grabbed my arm happily.

"What?" I jumped out of my seat in surprise.

"He could give him a few pointers!" Ginny said. Her eyes grew wide and she extended her bottom lip in a pitiful look. "Oh, please, 'Mione! Please talk to him! Please!" she whined. I flinched at the sad, pathetic look on her face.

"Gin, I don't think..."

"Come on 'Mione, you know I would do it for you." she said. I sighed, closing my eyes and wondering exactly how I'd gotten myself here. "Please..."

"Fine." I sighed. That same happy, Cheshire grin I'd seen earlier spread on her lips as she let out another loud squeal of happiness. She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me into a big hug.

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_" This was so very, very wrong. My jaw practically dropped when my eyes accidently strayed to the crystal ball again.

"Is he really-"

"Yup." Ginny answered before I had a chance to finish my question.

"Okay, but seriously-"

"Yup." Ginny said again. I looked at her.

"You mean he's really, seriously-"

"YES!" Ginny snapped. I couldn't stop my eyebrows from shooting way up as I tilted my head, trying in vain to get a different view of the image.

"I didn't think that was possible." I whispered. Ginny rolled her eyes as she watched the crystal ball version of herself shift her position on Harry. "It's really kind of..." I trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"Yeah, I know." Ginny said with a sigh. Without thinking, I burst into laughter. The whole situation was just too weird. The glare Ginny gave me as she stomped out of the room was practically homicidal, leaving me laughing like a fool at Trelawny's table. After a long moment, I grabbed my things and turned to leave.

"Miss Granger," I stopped and glanced back at Professor Trelawny, a bit put off by her serious demeanor.

"Yes?" For the past six years, I'd faced down all sorts of evil, but at that exact moment, I could say with all certainty that nothing had been more terrifying than the haunted look in the Professor's eyes.

"Have you seen Mr. Malfoy this morning?" she asked. I frowned, the nervousness from this morning when I'd met with Dumbledore returning.

"No." Something flickered in her eyes for the briefest instant, so quickly that I almost missed it.

"I was afraid of that." she whispered, returning her attention back to the crystal ball. I froze, wondering what she met. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. I walked away, unsure of what to do, with Professor Trelawny's words swirling in my head.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

I didn't make it to class at all that day, which I was sure probably meant that I was doing particularly badly at my Head Girl duties. I decided to clear my head of everything that had been happening lately by getting lost in the library and catching up on my studying.

As soon as I set foot in the library, I could feel a lot of the tension I'd been carrying for the past week start to melt away. It was calm and quiet there, and even though I was pretty much loathed by every Gryffindor there, it was still more peaceful than anywhere I'd been all day. I went past the tables of studious students who took time out of bending over their books to glare at me as I passed, and I found a nice spot somewhere in the back with the books on various forms of show magic. It was probably the least frequented part of the entire library. At that moment, it was positively heavenly.

I pulled a few books down and found a comfortable place to sit, setting out my notebooks and grabbing my quill. It had been a while since I'd visited that part of the library. It was in first year, back before I became friends with Harry and Ron, and my one task had been to read and devour everything that I could. I'd spent hours in those shelves, taking down book after book on subjects that I'd never even imagined could exist; things I couldn't have understood at the time but that still mesmerized me. It had been a good distraction, I realized, from the loneliness I felt. Before that year, I'd always been different, alone; I didn't know what it was like to have friends. My books had been my only friends.

The first time I'd had a fight with Harry and Ron, I'd been so afraid. It was irrational, I knew, and I hid it behind my mask of arrogant intelligence. I didn't want the world to know that I felt like my heart was breaking, or how utterly terrified I'd been that they would decide I wasn't worth it – that they would leave me, and I would be alone with only my books again. I was overjoyed the first time they'd called me their friend.

Seven years later and what had our friendship come to? I'd destroyed the reputation of the Gryffindor house in a single night of drunken stupidity and my two best friends would never accept what I'd done. I loved Harry and Ron, I really did, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't see their side of this argument. Maybe I was too different a person, or maybe I just didn't want to see it, but to me, it seemed... Ron had crossed the line when he refused to give Draco, or even me, a chance.

Was it my fault? Had I destroyed our friendship? Or was this just the way that things were supposed to end?

I closed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, feelings the snarls resist my moments. Familiar texts from days long past were burned into my eyes and if I thought hard, I could still remember every last important detail about making a polyjuice potion. I could still remember how it felt to have a tail and those embarrassing days in the hospital wing while I waited impatiently for it to wear off.

Time had passed and people had changed, and there I was again, waiting patiently. But this time was going to be different. This time, I wasn't waiting for a silly old spell to wear off. This time, I was waiting for a moment – the moment when everything would be decided and all of this angst and anxiety would end.

I rubbed my eyes and checked the time on the wall clock before gathering up my stuff to leave. The days were usually long at Hogwarts, but lately they'd been growing longer. I wondered when things would grow quiet again, and life would go back to normal.

Grabbing my books and stuffing them unceremoniously in my bag, I headed for the exit, preparing for the long walk back and the quiet aching in my shoulder. I didn't notice the people as I walked, didn't even acknowledge their presence. I was too tired. I made my way down the hall as quickly as I could, determination in every step, until at last, just outside the hall that led to my room, something broke my concentration.

A pale face framed by light blond hair, one I had grown to know exceptionally well, had just past my door and was headed toward me, followed closely by two Slytherin flunkies. I waited for the smile, the hello, the strange cheerfulness I'd seen from Draco lately, but there was none of it. He passed me by, a scowl on his face and something deep and unreadable in his eyes.

I knew without having to think that something was deeply wrong. That moment would not be today.

**A/N:** I know, I know, this took me ages and ages and AGES to do, and I really don't haven an excuse for the LOOOOOONG delay... and yes, this chapter sucked in comparison to the last five, BUT I have a totally evil plot twist planned and I promise you that the NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE TRULY EXCELLENT AND YOU WILL LOVE IT! RESISTENCE IS FUTILE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!  
okay, I'm done...


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